The Unexpected Wind That Blows
by MiniFFR
Summary: Ichigo is a high schooler. He hasn't seen his twin brother in six months and he can't help but wonder where Shiro is. Little does he know that his brother was drawn into a world full of vampires, werewolves, and slayers. Multi-chapter. GinXShiro and Aizen/Stark/GrimmXIchigo.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello! I'm MiniFFR.**

**I hope this is more enjoyable than my first Bleach fanfiction. I don't own Bleach, obviously, and I have a small question: Who shall be Ichigo's sire?**

**The choices are Nnoitra, Grimmjow, Aizen, Ulquiorra, Stark, and Kaien.**

**And Ichigo does not have a love interest chosen, so it would help a lot if you tell me that too. The same choices from above apply, as well as harem ^^**

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**Chapter 1**

**Set into Motion**

Ichigo Kurosaki had a twin brother named Shiro Kurosaki. They were mirror images of each other, like the negatives of a picture set side by side.

Ichigo possessed vibrant orange hair and warm brown eyes. His skin spoke of countless years of hard work under the sun. The rippling muscles beneath that skin was a testimony to every fight he had ever been in.

Shiro, not to be outdone by his colorful twin, was an albino and unusually colored at that. The white hair was by far more common than his eerie yellow-within-black eyes. He often layered sunscreen on his flesh to preserve the alabaster shade and his muscles were more a trophy of the fights he got into from his brother as well as his own attempts to make himself stronger.

Ichigo and Shiro were often compared to black and white. Whereas one was a protector, the other was described as an avenger.

The two never got along as teenagers, despite being thick as thieves when they were younger. Ichigo claimed it was Shiro's fault for never listening to anything he had to say. Shiro blamed the constant arguments on Ichigo's stubborn and naive nature.

During their second year in high school, Shiro became friends with two people named Grimmjow and Nelliel. He hung out with them more and more often, even staying over night. One such night, Shiro never came back. It was after a long argument from both his brother and Isshin about him never being home. He left, shouting that he never wanted anything to do with them again, and slamming the door shut.

~Six Months Later~

Ichigo crouched down by the large pole. He set down the small bouqet of flowers beside the picture of the raven haired girl in a karate uniform. His brown eyes were darkened with mourning and sadness. The triumphant grin that she bore made Ichigo feel all the more bitter about her death. Only a month ago, after receiving the trophy for internationals, Tatsuki had been killed by some animal at the very spot that Ichigo was crouched at. The bloodstains had long ago been washed from the concrete. But he still felt as if his friend's death had been yesterday. The wound in his heart was that fresh.

"At least you died having your dream come true," Ichigo murmured thoughtfully. He lifted his gaze for a moment to see if anyone was around. He half expected to see Chad or Orihime walking towards him. Even Uryu wouldn't surprise him.

No one was in sight, let alone one of his friends. He turned back to the photograph apologetically. "Looks like the gang is still getting used to you not being around. It isn't the same without you. Or even without Shiro."

The orange haired boy snorted. He looked mysteriously close to tears.

"Shiro, if you're alive and well I'm going to personally kick your ass," Ichigo whispered."Because Tatsuki can't do it for you anymore."

~Somewhere Not Too Far Away~

Shiro sneezed unexpectedly and in the middle of Aizen talking. It was strong enough to make his eyes water and he could have sworn that someone was talking about him.

"Are you done interrupting the damn meeting?" growled Grimmjow. He sounded hostile but his eyes were alight with mischief. Shiro's own narrowed.

"Screw you," he retorted.

"Now that wasn't a nice thing to say," teased Gin. As Shiro's sire, he had last say in any conversation that the albino had. So with no small amount of irritation, the Kurosaki clenched his mouth shut.

"Thank you for taking control over your fledgling. This meeting is nearly through Grimmjow, Shiro.." Aizen gazed around at the faces around the table. "Soul Society has become an increasingly dangerous entity. They have discovered new ways of utilizing our weaknesses and their success rate has increased by ten percent."

Everyone in the room had been shocked into silence. Such an increase had not been seen since the creation of guns. It was curious what the slayers had come up with this time to make such a drastic change. It made everyone attentive, even Stark. They all sat just a little straighter, listened just a bit harder.

Shiro had only been a recent member of the supernatural and this was his first time hearing a out the slayers on such an open level. Gin didn't really talk about them, saying that they were all rather weak mortals and that they weren't really important. However this meeting seemed to contradict the silver haired vampire.

It wasn't that Shiro was afraid. He just had a foreboding feeling that settled deep in his gut. It gave fuel to the longing he had for his brother. A longing that he resented.

Gin noticed the variety of expressions on his fledgling's face and made a mental note to talk to the albino after the meeting to try to discern what was bothering him.

"It would be wise to send someone to infiltrate the slayers' territory," Szael finally said. He didn't look particularly worried. More like he had a mild curiosity.

The blue haired werewolve grinned maniacally, his blue eyed gaze flickering over to Shiro.

"This kid is from Karakura. He would undoubtedly fit right back in as well as have a solid background."

Shiro stiffened and gave the werewolve his best glare. "If you send me, my presence will raise up questions about why I had disappeared in the first place. It isn't like someone with my appearance could go unnoticed."

Gin saw the tremble of fear in the albino's body. He opened his eyes more than the usual slit and tried to figure out what could possibly be bothering him. Then he recalled that this...boy had been taken from his home without a choice in the matter. And it was Gin's fault.

"Did you leave family behind?" Nelliel asked curiously. Her gaze was soft and kind. Shiro gave a hesitating nod. He didn't want to admit it, but now that he was involved with vampires and werewolves it might be necessary to keep them safe.

"We had an argument. I left. Simple as that," he replied. Gin could feel the guilt radiating from Shiro and began to pity his little fledgling.

"You would not have been sent anyways. You are only a recent addition and still too green to be taken from your sire yet.," Aizen replied. Shiro's lips tightened but he silently agreed with the man. He held his tongue in check. "I conclude that this meeting is adjourned. I will send a few of our people in, they will be of my own choosing. I want all of you to finish whatever work you have and prepare for tomorrow."

As everyone murmured their acknowledgments the brunette man turned back towards the albino. Shiro stiffened under the gaze but met it without falter.

"You have much to learn, young one. This is a hard life to adapt to and the first step is in accepting what has happened in your past."

The albino's eyes dropped onto his lap. "Yessir."

"See to it that you and your fledgling have a long talk, Gin," Aizen ordered. "You are all dismissed."

Shiro shot out of his chair without a moments's hesitation. Gin followed his Fledgling out of the door silently.

They were nearly to there rooms when the silver haired vampire grabbed a hold of the albino's arm and pinned him to the wall.

"What do you want?" Shiro snapped angrily.

"Weren't you listening? Aizen wanted you tell me about your family," Gin replied in a hard tone of voice. It made Shiro falter slightly.

"Th-That's not what he said nor is it any of your business."

Gin opened his eyes fully. "It is my business. I'm your sire. I have the right to know everything about you, yet you never even gave me your full name."

The yellow eyes filled with fury.

"You practically kidnapped me! Why the hell would I tell you something like that?" he demanded. The silver haired man raised an eyebrow.

"I thought we were passed the whole 'kidnapper' thing," he said honestly. The albino blushed slightly.

"It didn't seem relevant to give my last name to you all. I met Nel and Grimm while they were about to be shot and figured it wouldn't be wise to tell them my whole name," he explained slowly. "And now I just want to forget about my life from before."

Gin looked around carefully before turning his attention back onto Shiro. He let go of him, figuring that was enough for now. Shiro was very temperamental and pushing him too far would get him nowhere.

"I won't ask you about your family, but be aware that us not knowing could possibly put them in danger," he warned. The albino nodded in understanding. "But know that you will have to tell me more about yourself _soon_."

"Thank you. For understanding," he added. The sincerity in his voice rang true, full of honest gratitude. Gin immediately felt a pang in his chest as Shiro turned away from him and headed down the hallway towards his room.

Gin sighed. He loved Shiro so much more than he had ever thought was possible. It felt so ironic that he was the one to thrust the young man into a volatile and dark world. It was his fault that Shiro was in so much pain. Grimmjow and Nelliel had brought a friend with them on an outing. He had felt drawn to Shiro, more than he had towards Rangiku even. He couldn't help but use his powers to lure Shiro towards himself. Gin had bitten the pale neck, drank the sweet blood, and then given the albino his own.

Gin accepted his punishments for turning an unwilling human who had no involvement in their world, but he couldn't regret his actions. It took two weeks for Shiro to wake up from the deep sleep that all feldglings had. And it took another few weeks before he said a word to anyone. He hated Gin for what the vampire had done, but even that faded after a few months. By that time he had begun to intigrate with the other people that Gin worked and lived with. It wasn't perfect and Shiro was still wary of everyone, yet that was slowly changing.

There was a secret that Gin and Shiro shared, and it gave the silver-haired man a sense of companionship between them. After waking up, Gin could not smell or taste a difference in his new fledgling. Shiro had not become a vampire. He hadn't even changed in any way. Gin himself didn't mind, but he didn't want the others to know about it until Shiro was an accepted member of the close knit group of Aizen's coven. Shiro didn't seem to be vampire or human. Gin didn't know what he was and he was irrationally afraid that his fledgling would be rejected.

Gin scratched his head wearily. "You just had to pick the most complicated person to fall in love with," he complained before starting off towards his own bedroom for a bit of shut-eye.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you for such awesome reviews! I know this story is a bit slow, but I swear that it will get better. Oh, here are the results:**

**Nnoitra-1**

**Grimmjow-4**

**Aizen-3**

**Stark-3**

**If there are ties, I will choose a random one to sire Ichigo, and have all three as his romantic interests :)**

**There is still time to choose, so keep on voting if you like!**

***It is very likely I won't be able to update for about two weeks. I apologize greatly in advance. if you have any questions why, please feel free to PM me**

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**Chapter 2**

**Early Plans**

"No," Ichigo refused flatly the next day before school had started.

"Why not?" Keigo whined. "You never go out with us anymore."

"Because the only one who could possibly persuade me to go see some stupid movie with you was Shiro," he replied without any heat. The orange-haired student was merely stating a matter of fact.

Rukia overheard their conversation and went over to investigate.

"What's going on?" she asked with practiced pleasantry, something Ichigo saw through with ease. He said nothing about it however and she was thankful for that.

"This moron won't go out with his friends anymore," complained Keigo.

"Lay off my case," sighed Ichigo. He was sick of hearing the complaints for what had to be the thousandth time. If one adjective could be used to describe Keigo, it would have to be tenacious.

"I see no problem with that," Rukia remarked honestly. She was a relatively new student and had not known these two until the start of that school year. The only thing she DID know was that Ichigo got into many fights and that he was considered to be somewhat of a delinquent.

"He used to go out with us, but then he stopped. Now he doesn't even eat lunch with us. He sits in the library reading!"

Rukia still didn't know why that bothered the brunette so much. "Has anything caused you to change, Ichigo?"

"My oldest friend died and my twin brother ran away," he replied honestly. There was no hesitation. Rukia felt surprised at the forwardness and decided to look into his eyes, reaching out with her gift. She searched for anything that she could see through those windows of his soul, thoughts, emotions. She found pain, grief, guilt. Worst of all she found a gaping emptiness that traveled deep into his soul. A large part of him was missing. It took no genius to know the missing half was due to the disappearance of his twin brother.

"I take it you miss them very much." Rukia winced at the understatement of her words. She could recall Tatsuki. They had been partners for some school project not too long ago. Rukia could also recall the presence of a male albino that had stopped eight guys from beating up a student with flame colored hair. Both people had been...well, closer to this teenager than anyone she had ever seen together before, or after for that matter.

The latter memory felt vague, but the anger in his attacks brought to mind something akin to a vengeful angel. She supposed now that the victim had been Ichigo and the savior his brother.

"More than you could possibly know," Ichigo finally admitted. "It makes me feel better to know that Shiro is still alive. I can hope that he is happy."

Keigo began to feel out of place with the conversation existing only between Rukia and Ichigo. He reluctantly broke away from them, not that the two noticed or paid him much heed.

"Would you mind telling me what happened?" the raven haired girl asked. "I think talking will help you. And I'm a little curious as well."

Brown eyes narrowed at her for a moment before relaxing.

"You're pretty nosy but at least you admit it," he murmured. He leaned back into the desk and crossed his arms.

"I found Tatsuki on my way home. All the reports say that an animal attacked her, but I saw her body myself; cities don't have animals that could maul someone like that, let alone a martial arts champion.

"Shiro is a very simple case to explain. He wanted to do something stupid. It was so irrelevant that I can't even remember what it was about. He stormed out, screaming how much he hated my father and I."

"I think he loved you very mu-"

"Oh I know that," Ichigo interrupted. "I know he loves me as much as I love him. It doesn't make it any easier to deal with his absence."

The girl said nothing more. There wasn't anything really that would make him feel better, or to ease whatever he was going through. Besides, she was busy with her own thoughts.

She was a slayer stationed at this place as a result of its centralized part of Karakura's school zone. She was its appointed guardian, and Ichigo's description of Tatsuki's body made her wary. There was a possibility of it being from a werewolve or vampire. Either one was cause to worry because it meant the the slayers' capital was compromised. For now it seemed as if the Kurosaki brothers had no connection to the supernatural. But if Ichigo had discovered the body, it could possibly place him as a witness, therefore endangering his life. Rukia would have to do some investigating to rule out those unpleasant possibilities. She would rather not lose yet another classmate. To unnatural causes at least.

"I'm doing fine, Kuchiki," he assured her. She met his eyes, noticing how empty they seemed.

"You aren't fine," Rukia replied. "Your friends are worried about you, and for good reason. You need to go out, have a little fun."

The orange haired student looked ashamed and he glanced over to the corner where his friends had gathered. A small amount life lit his gaze. He turned back to Rukia.

"You're right. thank you," he told her with open warmth that surprised the girl. Then he stood up and approached his friends.

A satisfied smile formed over the slayer's face. "Mission accomplished," she whispered.

~Back With Gin~

Aizen studied Gin and Kaname. He possessed much more composure than he had at the meeting, a likely result of his concern for Shiro, who was a under his wing, no matter how ne he was. The Espada were far different than other members of vampire/werewolf covens. Humans were seen as equals, not a single one was supposed to be turned against his or her will. And fledglings were coveted, not used or abandoned. If one harmed any fledgling, it was considered punishable by equal, if not worse, treatment. Aizen made sure of that.

"I noticed that young Shiro was very upset yesterday," Aizen said. His expression remained a pleasant facade, if not tempered by a touch of evil. "How is he?"

"It's just a little homesickness brought up by the conversations," Gin assured him with his signature smile.

"It is not uncommon for recently turned vampires," Kaname added. "It will be something that he will undoubtedly over come."

Aizen tilted his head in acknowledgement and agreement. He himself had changed a few people and was familiar with the common behaviors, but then again he was talking about a different species than his own.

"That is good news, however it is not what I have called you two here for."

As if on cue the doors opened and in walked a blonde man of apparently young years and dressed in a school uniform. Beside him stood a silver haired man with a thick, worn, leather coat that zipped up to under the chin.

"Shinji," Gin greeted. "Kensei."

The said duo came over to stand next to their superiors, Shinji wearing a grin full of teeth that would put piano keys to shame.

"Is this what you wanted to tell us Aizen?" Kaname wanted to know. The brunette smiled gently.

"Indeed it is," he confirmed. "These are my two infiltrators. Kensei will be posing as a member of the slayers, Shinji as a high school student. They will be telling me about what is occuring in Karakura. Hopefully it will give us some knowledge of what the slayers are up to."

"To actually go into the boundaries of our enemy, you both must be very brave,' Kaname admired. "Don't you agree Gin?"

Gin wasn't listening. He tilted his head to the side. Something tickled the back of his mind, something to do with the albino who was supposed to be sleeping. It almost felt like...distress. Fear. Perhaps Shiro was having a nightmare?

"I have something I need to attend to," Gin murmured. He walked out of the room without consent, heading towards his fledgling's room with a growing sense of dread.


	3. Chapter 3

**I swear, everything was typed up last night. I hit a button and it went POOF so I naturally became very discouraged because it was going to take me another hour or two to type everything up (Come on, I get distracted easily). There will be another two week hiatus, as I discovered on Valentine's, so please forgive me! Oh and the pairing votes will now be officially closed. The winning pairing…Grimmjow, Aizen, and Stark! What a turn-out! Seriously though I thought Grimmjow would win **

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**Chapter 3**

**Dreams and Nightmares**

Gin found Shiro thrashing on the bed, looking as if he were fighting off impossible foes in his sleep. He rushed to the teenager's side without a second thought and tried to restrain him as gently as possible. It quickly became apparent that Shiro was indeed feeling terror, for he seemed to possess a strength far greater than Gin had ever seen used before. He himself was struggling to keep the lithe body from thrashing about. He tried shaking Shiro (as much as he could) and he tried shouting but neither worked. In a moment of desperation, Gin leaned down towards his fledgling's neck and bit into the warm flesh as hard as he could. The teenager gave out a pained cry, but his thrashing lessened little by little as the teeth dug further into his neck. Gin ignored the delicious flavor of blood and the warmth. Instead he gathered all of his attention into the body beneath his. A minute or two had passed when Shiro stopped writhing all together. The silver-haired man took that as his cue to release his fledgling's neck. As he sat back on his haunches, Shiro put a hand against his bleeding neck, staring up at him in confusion, pain. His eyes were thick with a wetness that wounded the vampire to see.

"Gin?" he questioned carefully. His voice had a tremble to it, but it didn't seem to be caused by the biting. No, the shadows in his eerie eyes were caused by something entirely different. It was fear, but not of the kind associated with physical terror. No, it was more similar to the

"It's been a while since you had a nightmare like that," the silver-haired man observed. His eyes were opened slightly, taking in the trembling of the albino's body. "What was it about?"

"None of you business!" Shiro snapped. He sounded angry, but Gin was pretty sure it was only a façade. He didn't push his fledgling with any further questions. Instead he scooted closer to Shiro and rubbed his back soothingly, rubbing away the tension in his muscles.

"You don't have to talk about it," Gin assured him. Little by little, Shiro was lured back into sleep. This one more peaceful than the last.

~Kurosaki Residence~

Ichigo awoke with fresh tears running down his face. Sweat soaked his clothes and his bed sheets. He could still taste the bitterness of the dream, recall the physical pain of separation, and he could still feel the wound of being rejected. Ichigo had dreamed of Shiro. They had been together once more, complete even. Neither one of them had felt the longing nor did they feel the overwhelming sense of loneliness. Then suddenly Shiro was shoving Ichigo away as if his very touch burned. Ichigo had tried to run after his brother, but every time he was rejected once more, more violently than the last.

Ichigo curled onto his side, clutching a stuffed animal to his chest in a gesture to find comfort.

"I know that dream was real," he whispered defiantly."But if it was real, what have I done to be…_despised_ by Shiro?"

The stuffed lion, Kon, did not answer like Ichigo wished it would. He so desperately wanted to have someone to talk to, someone to listen to this crazy dream of his. He honestly didn't know what to do anymore. He felt so utterly alone that he did not even notice the door of his bedroom being opened.

"Ichigo, are you feeling alright?" asked Isshin Kurosaki.

"I was just taking a nap," Ichigo replied without any of his usual fire. His eyes were dull, his face pale. Isshin noticed and went into his son's room, sitting at the very edge of Ichigo's pillow. After a pocket of silence, he reached down and began to run his fingers through the soft orange locks of hair.

"Who were you dreaming about? Tatsuki or Shiro?" Ichigo scowled.

"Who said I dreamed about anybody?" he retorted indignantly. His face regained a bit more of its obstinacy. Isshin wasn't surprised though. He knew his sons like the back of his hands and if they were the two most volatile children in the world. Or stubborn.

"I know that you occasionally dream about them, and I know how hard those dreams are for you," Isshin replied. He was a bit surprised when Ichigo rolled further onto his side, so that his face was buried into his doctor's coat.

"Do you think there is something wrong with me?" he asked, voice muffled. Isshin waited for him to elaborate. "Do you think there is something wrong with me for missing Shiro more than I do Tatsuki? I mean he's still alive and she's…"

Ichigo's father's face softened. He could understand that particular concern. The black-haired man pulled his son onto his lap, ignoring the protests and the uncomfortable position.

"You're never too old to sit on daddy's lap," Isshin told him sternly. Ichigo's mouth snapped shut, and he looked away in embarrassment. He disagreed with that statement, because he could barely even _fit_ on his father's lap. But he had to admit that he felt better, almost like when he was little and his father would hold him tightly in his arms in a gesture that could protect him from any of the world's evils.

"There is nothing wrong with feeling that way," Isshin finally sighed. "You and Shiro never did well with separation. You relied on one another too much. No matter how hard you try to fight that need for reliance, when you lose someone precious all you want is the comfort to make the grief go away. Tatsuki was your friend, but that is nothing compared to the bond of blood.

"Shiro is your _brother_."

Ichigo digested his father's words. There was no denying the truth in them, but it certainly wasn't easy to accept them either. He also didn't like that unwritten rule that blood was more precious than friendship. Yet Ichigo still felt bound by it.

Isshin frowned. "Don't you have a date to get ready for?"

The man's son stared at him incredulously as if he were a moron. Then he snapped.

Ichigo drew back his fist, slamming it straight into his father's nose with a sickening _crunch _that had taken him years to perfect in middle school.

"It is not a date!" he shouted defensively, storming off. Isshin chuckled at his son, holding the bleeding nose with one hand.

"Well, that was rather easy," he remarked, then coughed as he inhaled some of the blood.

~Later in the Night~

Ichigo didn't understand how Keigo had managed to convince Chad to allow him to help carry the take out. Worse, he couldn't quite understand how he was the one stuck with Orihime and Uryu _window shopping _of all things. He didn't even really understand fashion let alone have a sense for it.

"Oh look Uryu! Isn't this dress pretty?" exclaimed Orihime. Her voice drew the thin teenager's attention towards a fitted pink dress with ruffles running from collar to hem (think of the shirt Uryu made for her trip back from Soul Society). Uryu pushed his glasses up, analyzing the dress with a harsh eye.

"The style is pleasing enough, and it has been sewn well," Uryu observed. Ichigo tried not to roll his eyes. His friend always gave the compliments first so he could shoot people down with his criticisms. "But this piece lacks a shocking amount of originality."

"It's still cute," Orihime persisted. "I would wear it!"

"An outfit like this would be meant to give someone a sense of personality that they themselves do not possess," Uryu told her. Ichigo's brows furrowed as he tried to see where this was going. "But you would beautify the dress. It is merely an accessory."

The orange-haired teenager's mouth dropped. That was the closest he had ever heard Uryu call someone beautiful. And it was the closest he had ever heard to his friend flirt as well. Not that it made much sense. He wasn't into flowery speeches unless it was by Shakespeare.

"Well, what do you think Kurosaki?" the red headed girl asked. Ichigo's mind went blank. He quickly tried to come up with something smart as well as sensible to say.

"Uhm…the dress would look great on you," he said lamely. He saw Uryu's disapproving expression and continued on. "But since the pink might not completely compliment your hair, you would have to style it up."

He personally had no idea how he came up with that, but he held his breath anyways and hoped it would suffice. Uryu was the first one to speak.

"That is probably the smartest thing I have heard you say," he praised. Ichigo did not see that as a compliment and opened his mouth to reprimand him. Suddenly something ran into his back, knocking him forward a little. Ichigo felt a whisper of warning along his spine and whirled around to face his offender. He was surprised to find a blonde stranger who seemed about his age standing before him.

The stranger looked up at him, a piano-key grin stretching across his face.

"Oh, I'm sorry for that," he apologized. Ichigo wasn't quite sure as to what he should make of this new character. He seemed fine enough on the exterior, but Ichigo's instincts had never led him wrong before.

"It's fine…" Ichigo trailed, curious for a name. The blonde's smile widened as he held his hand out.

"My name's Shinji."

**Ugh, the other version was better T T**

**Well I hope you enjoyed the new chapter! Please feel free to leave a review (Cause they make me happy) and Happy Belated Valentine's Day!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Short chapter I know. My apologies, I took out an entire page. Still, this is better than nothing! Please enjoy! oh, and the pairing is established.**

**Chapter 4**

**Of Names and Warriors**

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Ichigo was surprised to learn that Shinji attended his school. How did he discover this particular thing? The blonde introduced himself to the entire class and completely attached himself to the antisocial teenager. Surprisingly enough Ichigo's friends easily accepted the newcomer and even invited him to lunch on the roof with them. Rukia and Uryuu, however, seemed wary of Shinji.

"So is your name really Ichigo?" Shinji asked brightly. His grin was extremely wide. "Why would you be named Strawberry?"

Ichigo scowled irritably. "My name doesn't mean that!" He paused for a moment before murmuring thoughtfully, "Wouldn't put it past the old man though."

Chad heard the last part and the barest of smiles stretched his mouth. He had met his friend's father and understood why he had said that. The doctor was...eccentric. The big high schooler took a piece of paper out, carefully writing on it. Then Chad offered it to Shinji who eagerly took it.

"I-chi-go," he read, eyebrows drawing together as he read the other version of the name. "One who protects."

Shinji's face became solemn, much more serious than than the orange haired teen had ever expected to see. There was also a calculating steel in his eyes.

"I wonder what your siblings would have been named..."

Orihime laughed at the musing, completely misreading the atmosphere. "I said the same thing! Then I met his brother.

"His name is Shiromusha!"

Ichigo scratched his head awkwardly. "It means 'white samurai'."

"Those two keep well to their names. Ichigo stands up strongly for those he cares for, Shiro stood up for justice," Uryuu put in.

As Ichigo and his friends' conversation evolved, Rukia noticed Shinji's silence and turned towards him. To her surprise and unease, she found an eerily thoughtful expression on his face. It seemed out of character with how he had acted up until then. She didn't sense any ill intent from her new classmate, but she still had a foreboding feeling. Rukia would have to tell Renji and the others to watch out for this classmate.

&&&&Later That Night&&&&

Shinji watched Kensei pull off the thick leather coat, his day at school making him paranoid. Even of his own partner.

"What did you find out?" He asked.

"Don't start pestering me," Kensei groaned. "This is only the first day."

Shinji scowled but gestured for his friend's cooperation. The silver haired man smiled in satisfaction.

"They believe that I'm transferring from Germany. All the paper work was processed and accepted. I've been assigned to...Hisagi's unit. Luckily my superior is a woman and does not force me to interact with the captain or Hisagi."

Shinji saw the pained look on Kensei's face. The two had been close like family before things went bad.

"We do what we have to in order to survive and protect our loved ones."

Kensei dropped the coat onto the floor, sinking onto the couch beside Shinji.

"How did your day go?" He asked, just to humor the blonde man. He didn't expect to see him leaning forward with furrowed brows.

Shinji had three matters that concerned him. He wasn't entirely sure where he wanted to start.

"I discovered five slayers in the school. They are all in one class, mine. I think Aizen knows something is going on here, something that needs to be investigated."

"But what?" Kensei wondered. This brought him to the second matter.

"There is a group of unusual humans. I can sense something...peculiar. One of the slayers hangs out in their group, always watching," he explained. "They certainly have the potential to be recruited."

Kensei saw the fingers drumming against the couch cushion. "Something else is bothering you. What is it?"

"Do you remember the albino Gin brought back?" He asked abruptly. Kensei nodded. "He's from here. From this town, lived in this area, went to the school where the slayers are."

Kensei didn't understand where Shinji was going with his train of thought.

"Shiro told me his name one time, wrote it down and explained it to me. He even wrote the name of his brother," Shinji murmured. His eyes met Kensei's. "Last night I found someone who looks just like him, shares the same name."

"I think you're too paranoid- I mean no one looks like Shiro..." Kensei trailed off as a phone was thrust into his face. He blinked when he saw the face that looked exactly like Gin's fledgling. Except he had tanned skin, normal brown eyes, and bright orange hair. "Okay, but that doesn't mean that's his brother."

Shinji growled.

"Shiro told me his brother's name was Ichigo, one who protects," he told his partner with forced patience. "That kid had the same name, spelled the same. And he had a brother named Shiromusha:white samurai. They're brothers."

Kensei found the last sentence confusing but after going through it in his head he nodded slowly. "Alright, so what does that mean exactly?"

"I'm not sure," Shinji admitted. "But I have a feeling that Ichigo is the center of this. Shiro is his brother, the strange humans are his friends, the slayers are in his class.

"There is something strange about those two," he finished, even more uncertain than before.


	5. Chapter 5

**I am so very sorry. I did not expect it to take this long to update. There is no excuse. **

**On a brighter note, this chapter ****_is_**** finally out. Yay! Please enjoy.**

**Chapter 5**

**Tea and Knowledge**

Shiro sat on his feet, all too aware of the silence that filled the room. It wasn't awkward, per se. Rather, he was unused to the intimate atmosphere. It made sense that Gin should be so comfortable with Aizen. After all, the man was quite similar to a father figure for the silver haired vampire sire. Shiro, however, was uncomfortable at the level of trust and friendship that was being extended to him. He was actually put off by the friendly interactions from _all_ of the people in this...haven. Humans had never really treated him as warmly. A result of his unusual appearance. Even Ichigo, who looked normal, had been bullied.

"How are you adjusting to your new life?" asked Aizen as he poured the tea. Shiro gratefully took a cup. He silently wondered why the man drank so much. Vampires could have small amounts of food and mortal drinks, but nowhere near the amount the brunette consumed.

"It could be worse," Shiro admitted reluctantly. "I'm still not used to how things run here. Especially how lax and accepting this...society is. I guess the only problem I'm having right now is finding something to do."

Aizen chuckled softly. "Gin has told me the same thing. Unfortunately there is very little that needs to be done here, and you are forbidden from leaving until you've fully adjusted to the Change."

Shiro made a face at the reminder. Since he couldn't leave, neither could Gin. His sire had to follow him _everywhere_ and it was really annoying him.

"I don't understand why you're complaining, Shiro. It's not like you don't find trouble." The albino slid an icy glare at his sire.

"_Shut up._"

Aizen studied their every motion, their body language. He wasn't surprised to see the wariness in Shiro's posture, but it didn't seem to be completely from fear anymore. There was certainly progress in the relationship between the two strange vampires.

Aizen brought his cup of tea to his lips, sipping at it. "That aside, though I agree with Gin somewhat, I only wanted to have this meeting in order to ascertain your thoughts and feelings on being here. Beyond the understandable ones of wanting to be home once more."

Shiro's eyebrows drew together as he tried to figure out what Aizen was talking about. Gin noticed with some amusement and leaned towards him carefully.

"He wants to know if you're happy here," whispered the fox-like man. Shiro looked into his face, startled by the kindness that he saw there. Not that Gin was particularly cruel, but-the man had moments where he was far softer than anything the albino had ever seen or felt.

"Shiro?"

The said youth looked into wise brown eyes. He felt utterly uncertain. "I-I'm not sure how to answer that," he stammered out. "It doesn't feel like home but...it isn't bad either."

If Gin and Aizen were surprised, they didn't show it.

"I take it you're satisfied with your current guardian." A statement, not a question. Shiro blushed slightly and was reluctant to agree.

"He's not so bad," he admitted softly. Gin's attention was fully on him, not wavering in the slightest. While the main questioning was over, there were still a few formalities to carry out. All of which left the albino under his sire's scrutiny.

As they left Aizen's tearoom, Shiro suddenly found himself being pulled into a smaller hallway than the main corridor they were in. He wasn't sure what was going on, but he didn't struggle against it. He trusted Gin. When they hit a dead end, Gin pulled Shiro along the wall opposite of him.

"What are you doing?" the youth demanded incredulously.

"You chose to stay with me." Shiro scowled. What was so surprising about that? It wasn't like he knew anyone very well. This man had already seen him at his worst (vomiting up blood, vomiting human food, whatever didn't stay down). And there was another part that Shiro didn't want to mention: he felt compelled to stay by Gin's side. There was a magnetism he had felt the moment they had met, and it stayed with him.

"You haven't given me any reason to leave," he muttered, scratching the back of his neck uncomfortably. "You aren't a bad sire or anything. I'm not used to someone watching over me. I wouldn't want to change something that hasn't gone bad yet."

Gin understood what Shiro was trying to convey. His own sire had abandoned him shortly after creation. He had literally been on the streets when Aizen found him. The man had taken him under his wing, protecting him and supporting him. Gin was in fact the reason that Los Noches had such a strict policy ensuring the safety of fledglings and other turned members of the supernatural.

Gin was glad that he wasn't one of the sires he hated; Shiro had said it himself.

"Thank you," he murmured. He opened his ice blue eyes, showing how much he appreciated Shiro's eerily cold, he found them to be beautiful, captivating even.

Shiro felt as if he were captured by that color. While eerily cold, he found those eyes to be beautiful; captivating even. The sincerity touched him so much that he shied away from it with a tease.

"Could you imagine me being with Nnoitra or Grimmjow?" he joked half-heartedly. He felt relieved when those gorgeous eyes closed once more and Gin smiled.

"You're right. They are _way_ too possessive and overprotective to deal with someone like you."

(And we shift to the said werewolves :P)

Grimmjow ground his teeth together in frustration. He lay curled on a couch, fisting the fabric of the blanket as a wave of pain ran through him. He scowled at the dip of the bed.

"I think this is the first time I have ever seen you sick," Nnoitra remarked. His friend growled at him, slapping the hand away as it reached out to touch him. The lanky man's eyebrows drew together in concern. "Grimm, I think you should see Szael."

The brilliant blue eyes fluttered shut. "I already know what's wrong. Aizen and Stark explained it to me."

"Oh? What's the verdict?" Nnoitra was a little confused. The two wolves that had just been named were like elders in werewolve hierarchy. Usually you only went to them to ask about the species' history and such, or for guidance.

"I've finally matured," Grimm groaned, burying his face into the blanket. "I'll have rut cycles from now on. They'll get even worse the longer it takes for me to find a mate."

Nnoitra recoiled violently. "Don't rut on me," he warned.

The blue haired man glared at him. "Aizen already gave me pills that help negate that. It doesn't help with the other symptoms. I still feel like crap."

"Does anything else help with this?" Nnoitra wanted to know.

"Well, Aizen suggested tea, and Stark swears that sleeping takes your mind off of-"

Nnoitra's mouth dropped. "Are they always in heat?!"

"Rut," Grimmjow corrected. He grimaced, shifting into a more comfortable position. "The length of the cycle will increase until you find a mate, then it regulates itself."

The lanky wolve scowled. He didn't like the way that his life was looking to be like. It seemed like to much of a hassle, taking care of that person he was supposed to love. He might even have to turn someone and that was extremely difficult.

"How do we choose our mates?" he wondered aloud.

"Don't ask me!" snapped Grimmjow. A moment passed in silence. After a moment his expression relaxed a little. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do that.

"There is a faint telepathic field around everybody. Only vampires and werewolves can sense it. Something about being apart of our instinct. Theoretically, there is an equal yet opposite frequency of brainwaves for every vampire and werewolve. That opposite is our mate."

"Then where do the humans come in?" Nnoitra asked curiously.

"They always have little supernatural blood in them to begin with," Grimmjow explained tiredly. He yawned. "You could have just asked Aizen. He has to give you the Talk anyways."

"The Talk," Nnoitra repeated dumbly. A flame of humor lit Grimmjow's eyes.

"Didn't you know? There are no female werewolves. The Talk we received as humans won't help us too much."

Nnoitra was frozen in shock. No female werewolves. No women. What kind of world was this?

He collapsed on the floor from shock.


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry I haven't updated. Meant to last weekend, but I got sick. It really sucked. I'm still reaaly worn out so the end of this chapter was really rushed. Plea enjoy the rest of it!**

**Those of you following my DGM story, It is about to end. I have all three of the last chapters written and just need to post them. Don't worry, there will be a sequel.**

**Chapter 6**

**Blood**

Ichigo stretched his back leisurely. He could feel the warm sun soaking into his skin, the fingertips of a breeze passing through his hair. It was bliss.

"Have you ever thought of becoming a model?" Shinji asked. He seemed partially to be joking, and partially serious as well. The orange haired teenager fixed him with a glare.

"Don't you dare say anything like that. I find it insulting." Shinji frowned.

"It's a compliment. I'm telling you that you're pretty hot," he pointed out honestly. Ichigo rolled his eyes at his ne and self-proclaimed friend. By now he was used to the blonde's antics, despite only having known each other for the greater part of a week. Much to the entire school's surprise, Ichigo tolerated Shinji more than he did Keigo.

A presence moved to stand behind Shinji, making the tiny hairs on the back of said man's neck stand on end.

"Are you Kurosaki?"

Both high schoolers looked up at the owner of the unfamiliar voice. There stood a tall, fit, red-headed young man who appeared to be from Ichigo's class. The most remarkable traits he carried were the color of his hair and the tattoos all over his arms and face.

"I'm Kurosaki," Ichigo confirmed without even an ounce of the suspicion Shinji felt he should have.

The delinquent face broke into a grin. "I'm Renji. I'm looking for my friend Rukia. She said she was going to be eating lunch with you. Have you seen her?"

Ichigo shook his head.

"No, she is tutoring Keigo," he explained. Awkward silence fell. For a moment Shinji thought that perhaps the slayer had been lying in order to somehow befriend Ichigo (like he himself had). But then Renji gave a growl of frustration that seemed genuine enough.

"She _lied_ to me!" he groaned, collapsing onto the ground next to Ichigo. The orange haired teenager scowled at him and began to edge away from his fellow classmate.

"Why would she lie to you?" Shinji asked curiously. Renji gave another growl.

"I think it's because she says I'm too antisocial and need to interact with my peers more." Realization dawned on his face. "I swear, it's like she is avoiding me!"

"Why would she avoid you?" Shinji wanted to know. He was finding this slayer to be quite humorous. To imagine that his enemy could be so easily bothered. He also sensed a little bit of melancholy usually associated with unrequited love. Shinji would bet that Renji loved Rukia, and vice versa. He would also wager any relationship they had could create controversy among the slayers. After all all, the girl walked with her head held high; like a noble.

"I think she knows I have a crush on her." The red haired slayer blushed with embarrassment. Ichigo's eyebrows drew together in surprise and confusion.

"I thought you two were transfers? Did you know her from before you moved here?" he asked. Shinji praised Shiro's brother for using his brain (for once). Renji's eyes became glazed and dreamy. He seemed to be drifting into his past.

"Yes...we grew up together. Childhood friends, I suppose. We used to be orphans fending for ourselves on the streets." A shadow crossed over Renji's face and he smiled at the two. "She was adopted, and we didn't see each other until middle school."

Ichigo could understand having such a close bond. Rukia and Tatsuki were very similar (painful with their fists). "I'm sure confessing to her wouldn't kill you."

"She might," Shinji added brightly. Renji scowled and struck the blonde in the shoulder. Ichigo did the same.

"Rukia may be aggressive, but if any of could receive her mercy," he assured the red head, "it would be you."

Renji mulled over the idea of confessing to Rukia. It didn't sound so bad. He would rather have her hear it from him and keep avoiding him than for her to avoid him for no known reason.

Shinji watched Renji thinking, allowing himself a small smile as he considered his relationship with Hiyori. He supposed it wasn't surprising to find so many scary women like Rukia and Hiyori. He decided that fate favored him when it gave him a sibling relationship with the midget of a girl. Slayers haven't changed at all, since he was one of their own...

Ichigo suddenly began to cough, setting down hi juice box. Renji sat up and clapped his back a few times.

"You okay there?" he teased. Ichigo continued coughing, eyes tearing up at the corner. He gave a slight nod. Shinji was about to dismiss it as choking on juice, when the coughs became a ragged wet sound. The familiar smell of copper hit the air. Shinji surged forward to draw away Ichigo's hand. His palm was stained with blood.

(_meanwhile, in Aizen's study)_

Aizen helped Shiro sit up. The albino's face was a sickly ash color, scarlet staining his lips.

"Take it easy," the brunette gently urged him. He picked up a cup filled with water and placed it against Shiro's lips. "Drink, carefully."

Shiro gratefully gulped down the cool liquid. It was the only thing he could stomach at the moment. His body had been rejecting normal food for the last six hours. Even liquids quickly became expelled. As a matter of fact, apple juice had made him cough up blood in the first place.

Shiro didn't understand what was going on. Every few weeks, he would start to feel sick and have to drink Gin's blood. But it had never gotten as bad as this. A swallow or two of blood hadn't helped in the least. The fox-like vampire was force to feed from a live human, something he hadn't done since he turned Shiro. Aizen suggested that the fresh, live blood would be more nutritious to give his fledgling.

"That's enough," Aizen told him. He took the glass away from Shiro, setting it back down. The albino eased himself back slowly.

Aizen's sharp eyes studied him coolly. "I've noticed that you're more fragile than other fledglings. For example: while your teeth are sharper than a normal human's they can barely pierce through flesh."

Shiro self- consciously ran his tongue over his canines. They had always been sharper than most people's, but then so had his brother's. That had not been a problem, Gin said. He explained that many turned vampires had to feed from their sires for the first several months.

"I've also observed your walks in the sunlight," the brunette added. Shiro's eyes widened and he turned to look at Aizen.

"So it's true," he whispered. "You _aren't_ a vampire."

"Neither are you," the werewolve replied simply. "Don't worry, you aren't in trouble. Gin has made it apparent that can't be changed any more than what is already done. You are still a fledgling in our eyes."

"We lied," Shiro said weakly. The brunette shrugged.

"And I understand that. However, your health is in question and I need to know what your Change did to you."

Shiro was silent for a moment. "It didn't really do anything, except sometimes I need to drink Gin's blood. I tried human blood, but I throw it up."

"Do you have family?" Aizen asked. The albino hesitated. He didn't want to involve Ichigo or his father. It shouldn't matter that he had relatives. He had broken those ties long ago.

"None of relevance," Shiro answered.

"I don't believe that is true," Aizen mused. "I suspect that one of your parents is a vampire.

Shiro snorted in disbelief. Aizen smiled gently.

"It's rare for half-bloods to be born now. But their descendants make up the slayers' ranks. It's impossible to turn one of them, though some of their genetic behaviors and traits are raised out of dormancy," Aizen explained, gesturing to Shiro's form on the couch. "It would explain your situation and your dependency on your sire, who formed a blood bond by trying to turn you."

_One of my parents...that's impossible_, Shiro thought wildly. He couldn't imaginehis sweet mother as a vampire, or his goofy father. _What does this make Ichi?_

"Is it hereditary?" Shiro wanted to know. He dread the answer he would receive. Aizen noticed and focused his attention on the fledgling.

"Indeed it is." The brunette's eyes softened. "If you have a sibling, infidelity is possible-"

Shiro shook his head. "I know we have the same parents." He met the werewolve's gaze. "Ichigo is my twin, after all."

Before the conversation could continue, Gin entered the room. He wasted no time in rushing to Shiro's side and kneeling. He took the youth's face in his hands.

"How are you feeling?" Gin asked softly. Shiro forced himself to smile.

"About the same," he lied. Aizen stood up, brushing off his clothes. He put a hand on the vampire's shoulder.

"I'll let you two have some privacy." A twinkle of amusement lit his eyes. "Since his teeth aren't very sharp, you should try letting him feed from your neck. The skin is much easier to penetrate there."

Having said that, the man left. For some strange reason, Shiro could not keep himself from blushing. He knew there was no logical reason for the flush in his cheeks, yet it remained.

Gin turned Shiro's face towards him, a gentle compulsion to command his attention.

"Do you need help?" Gin asked. Shiro was ashamed to feel his mouth water at the thought of having blood in his mouth. It was a natural enough reaction. Even his instincts were taking interest.

Shiro leaned forward, breathing deeply along Gin's neck. He ran his tongue experimentally over a spot where he felt a good vein would be. Enzymes from his saliva worked to numb the area, coax hormone production to start. The albino hesitated, not completely sure if he should follow through, or how hard to bite.

Arms wrapped around him; warm and assuring. They pulled the albino closer to he neck and the source of his blood.

"Just follow your instincts," Gin whispered. His breath moved the snow white locks. Shiro found strength in those words. He opened his mouth, teeth scraping against the skin. He bit down in one swift motion. Warm liquid flowed into his mouth. Decadent, bittersweet. Shiro clenched his jaw tighter as he relished the heavenly taste. He felt like he couldn't get enough.

Aizen slid his phone out, dialing a single number he had on speed dial. It rang a few times before the person finally picked up.

"Shinji speaking," came the expected greeting.

"I have a request for you. Are you listening?" Aizen asked.

"Yes sir."

"Shiro has fallen ill again. Something he said worried me. I want you to find his brother. His name is Ichigo-"

"Ichigo Kurosaki," Shinji interrupted. "I know. I have already found him. He's in the hospital right now."

AAizen was silent for a moment.

"I have a bad feeling," he said over the phone. "I will send Stark over tomorrow. For now,, watch over him. Shiro's health must be directly related to Ichigo's so keep a steady watch over him."

He hung up, brooding over the ominous feeling niggling at the back of his mind.


	7. Chapter 7

**So this should be an interesting chapter, yeah? I really think that the plot has finally begun to pick up. You should really thank this Korean TV show I was watching because I really only had a simple story plot for it. It's a bit more fleshed out now, so hopefully it will take off. **

**I am so very tired. I just posted the second part to my DGM fanfic, and this one. One had over a thousand words, this one has over 2,000. That is a lot to type.**

**Chapter 7**

**Unsettling Dreams**

Gin felt Shiro's lust increasing the more blood he drank. He himself was beginning to feel very turned on as he felt the teenager grinding against him. Shiro lifted his head from his sire's neck, looking into the lust-lidded eyes. He didn't even let the vampire say anything. He attacked Gin's mouth with a fierceness that shocked the man.

Lips parted, tongues slid into hot caverns, met part way. In no time, Shiro found himself pinned to the bed as they made out heatedly. The albino felt as if his very breath was being stolen from him.

Gin was the one that broke away. "I really don't think we should be doing this right after you were coughing up blood. You need rest."

Shiro protested, too absorbed in the haze of his mind to even think logically. Gin carefully retrained him, knowing full well that Aizen would not appreciate it to find a mess of blood on his couch.

"It's just kissing," Shiro said angrily. Gin knew that 'just kissing' could escalate rather easily and he didn't want to have his fledgling regret his actions. When Shiro's head cleared, Gin hoped that he wouldn't take offense at the make out session.

"If you wake up, still wanting to kiss, then I will let you," the silver haired man promised. He pulled a blanket over Shiro. He didn't really want to move the teenager while he was in such a lusty state. "For now, try to sleep."

The promise seemed to suffice. The teenager willing laid down (albeit with some grumbling) to rest.

After Gin left, Shiro found himself dozing off. His sleep was shadowed by the heat remaining in his body. Once dreams enter his mind, he found himself tossing and turning on the couch. His body sought to find relief, frustrated in its own way. Several images flashed through his mind, most of them full of the hair belonging to Gin.

_**At the Kurosaki Household**_

Ichigo felt as if his room contained a heat meant to oppress him. His skin was damp with sweat as he stirred restlessly in his sleep. He longed to have an unnamable comfort against his skin. Chills crept along his body as he burned from deep within. He saw flashes of silver hair in his befuddled dreams. Incoherent words echoed through his mind, names he didn't recognize. Those images morphed into new ones, the unique features of different people. He saw brunette hair that did not look straight or wavy; it was somewhere in between. That bled into a vibrant blue that had Ichigo trying to put a name to the owner of such an unusual hair color. The blue eventually faded to a cool gray color that made the teenager's breath stop. It was a single eye, more expressive than any other he had ever seen.

Ichigo jerked awake, gasping for the air he had stopped breathing. He wiped a wrist against his forehead. He relaxed once his heart rate to slow.

"That was a different kind of wet dream," he murmured tiredly. Ichigo's mouth felt strangely dry. He stood up from his bed, going down the stairs to fetch a glass of water to drink. He caught sight of the clock and realized it was only eleven at night. He had barely been asleep for two hours.

Ichigo drained the glass in one go. Thinking it wise, he filled it up again and took the cup upstairs with him. The sixteen year old settled into bed once more, determined to go back to sleep.

An hour, he lay awake, turning this way and that. Ichigo could not get comfortable. Then his mind would conjure up images of the features he had seen and try to put faces to them. The teenager finally resigned himself to the fact he would find no sleep that night. Especially when he could feel the gaze of unwanted eyes on him.

_**Early the Next Morning**_

Shinji and Kensei sat in their living room, awaiting the arrival of Stark. The silver haired man had long since changed out of his uniform, though Shinji kept his on. Kensei couldn't help but notice that his partner was constantly checking his cellphone's screen.

"Who are you texting?" he asked curiously.

"Remember Shiro's brother?" Kensei nodded. "He was in the hospital yesterday. His father told me he was going to take him home and call me this morning to come visit.

The blonde man rubbed a hand over his face. "Aizen called me because he wanted me investigate Shiro's brother. I guess Shiro finally said something about his family...anyways, Shiro was also sick, so Aizen is supposed to keep me updated on his condition so we can compare the twin's health."

"They are connected to each other," Kensei mused. "Maybe Ichigo is a vampire?"

"No; I would be able to sense it. He isn't fully human, but he is definitely not a vampire either."

Before the conversation could continue, there was a knock on the door. Kensei shared a look with Shinji before going over to answer it. It was dark outside, but there was no mistaking the imposing presence of the werewolve.

"Stark," Kensei greeted. The brunette dipped his head in acknowledgement before entering the apartment. Once everyone was seated, the meeting began.

"Aizen has explained some of the situation to me," Stark announced. None of his usual tiredness was present, much to the surprise of his comrades. "Shiro's body vehemently rejected human food. Considering Shiro's reactions to certain foods and behaviors, Aizen has surmised that Shiro is in fact of mixed blood. In order to prevent a similar fate from occurring to any siblings Shiro possesses, Aizen sent me to try and evaluate Shiro's family. Is there any information I need to know?"

Kensei decided to go first. "Slayer activity in this town is at an all time high. Karakura has four Taicho, all gathered under one head. Shinji himself says that there are five slayers in Ichigo's class as well."

"Ichigo is the name of Shiro's twin brother," Shinji explained when Stark gave them a questioning look. "His friends are all...unusual. Amongst them there is a psychic (Chad), a witch (Orihime), and a human slayer (Uryu). There are two slayers that have joined Ichigo's friend and they are surprisingly powerful."

Stark leaned against the back of his seat. "I take it that this 'Ichigo' isn't aware of vampires and werewolves."

Shinji shook his head. The brunette hummed thoughtfully.

"Aizen was right when he said there was something strange going on with Shiro's family. Those twins seem to be special in some way. Where is Ichigo right now?" Stark asked.

"At home. His father owns a clinic and decided to treat his son there," Shinji replied. "Isshin promised to call me when Ichigo woke u so that I could come and visit."

The werewolve laughed.

"Why wait?" he asked. "We can just go visit them now. If the father is a doctor, then he should keep all hours."

Kensei looked outside. "Let's at least wait until noon. Neither one of us has eaten yet, and we like to nap after we eat."

Stark reluctantly gave in.

_**Back at the Kurosaki Household. Again**_

Isshin's first client was drunk that came knocking at the door. He let the man sleep off the alcohol, apologizing when Ichigo came downstairs. The orange haired youth shook his head.

"Don't worry about it. I've been awake since eleven," he replied. Isshin's eyes widened.

"If you couldn't sleep, why didn't you tell me?" he demanded. Ichigo shrugged. The though hadn't really occurred to him. "You need rest, Ichigo."

Isshin Kurosaki moved to one of the cabinets, taking out a bottle full of over the counter sleeping pills. He handed two to his son.

"I don't want you going to school today," he informed Ichigo. "Just take those, and go back to bed."

The sixteen year old wasn't in the mood to argue. He went to his room, washed the pills down using the water by his bed, and lay on his back in the hopes that sleep would come. Eventually a groggy sleep overcame the teenager.

Isshin watched from the doorway until he was certain Ichigo had fallen asleep. He smiled, closing the door to his son's room. He heard voices coming from his clinic so he went to greet the customers.

"Welcome to the Kurosaki clinic how may I-" The man stopped as he caught sight of his guests. He recognized Shinji. The silver haired man, he could tell was of mixed blood. But the brunette was a werewolve like him. Isshin's eyes narrowed. "What do you want?"

"We came to check up on Ichigo," Shinji explained. "I'm Shinji. This is Kensei, and this is Stark."

The middle aged man looked over them all in a careful manner. He could sense that they had another reason for coming.

"I take it you are wondering about my son's heritage," he guessed drily. Stark dipped his head.

"We thought he was half vampire, but considering you yourself are a werewolve, that is an incorrect assumption," the brunette replied. Isshin gestured for them to follow him as he led them into his house. He sat them down.

"My son _is_ half vampire. He is also half werewolve," Isshin explained. Shinji's eyes widened. That meant Shiro was mixed with both bloods as well. "Having said that, why is my son's heritage so important?"

"We are having a difficult time helping Shiro. He seemed fine as a fledgling, but he began coughing up blood yesterday," Stark informed him. For a father, the man took the news surprisingly well. He had already suspected something similar. Ichigo's own body showed signs of rejecting human food when he hadn't been turned. That left the only possibility that Shiro had been Changed by a vampire.

"Shiro is basically the same as he was before. Just make sure he drinks blood on a daily basis," Isshin said with a shrug. "I don't have to worry about other people trying to do the same thing to Ichigo will I?"

Kensei chuckled softly.

"Hopefully not. At least not from our clan." The silver haired man looked around curiously. "Where is Ichigo?"

"Asleep. I gave him some pills because he didn't get much rest last night," Isshin said in a low voice. There was a sudden thump from upstairs. They all listened carefully, half expecting to hear another. Instead, they heard a shout, the sound of someone struggling. Isshin was gone in an instant, the others following behind.

What they found in the teenager's room was Ichigo pinned to the bed, with his exposed neck being ravished by a dark haired man who smelled strongly of werewolve. When the stranger heard them burst in, he lifted his head up with a grin.

"Hello Isshin. I just thought I would come by to mark my mate," he said in a sickly cheerful voice. Ichigo continued to struggle beneath the man, trying to shove him off. Isshin's eyes sparked angrily.

"Ichigo will never be your mate, Ginjo," he growled. The man took two steps towards them, yanking the offender away from his son. He dragged him down to the floor below, throwing him out into the street. Ginjo simply laughed at him, despite his position on the ground.

"You haven't forgotten that promise you made, have you?" he bellowed. "Ichigo was promised _to_ me. No one else. You said he could be my mate."

Isshin slammed the door shut. He punched the frame,spinning around to go back to his son. He was surprised to find Stark standing right behind him.

"What did that man mean?" the brunette asked coolly. The doctor's jaw tightened grimly.

"I don't think that is something I need to bring up right now," he replied sharply.

Stark crossed his arms, not trying to intimidate his host. "That was a werewolve of a rare caliber. He seemed to think that Ichigo was his to claim."

"Ginjo is insane. I told him years ago that I would let him nowhere near my boy," Isshin muttered. He drew in a calming breath. And met Stark's eye.

"You could say that I had arranged for him to be Ichigo's fiancée, for lack of a better word."

**Personally, I think that things are heating up between Gin and Shiro. Ichigo had a semi wet dream, about his to be boyfriends 3**

**Did you like the way it ended? It was supposed to end differently, and this chapter had been originally from Ichigo's point of view for being marked by Ginjo. Oh well, right?**


	8. Chapter 8

**Thank you so much for the new reviews. Like I said, the plot is heating up and so are relationships. I've decided to try this idea for Ichigo's romantic interests. For example, he will have a love-hate relationship with Grimmjow. I thought it would be fun, as well as give him a certain amount of designation. Stark is probably going to be his classic romantic, and then Aizen...I haven't decided exactly how he will work yet. Anyways, please enjoy what is the longest chapter I have ever written!**

**Chapter 8**

**The Unexpected**

Ichigo woke up again at noon. The moment he did, he could remember the stranger's mouth running up and down his bare skin, the man's teeth nipping at his throat. He remembered the horror he felt upon discovering the man was no dream, but a real person that had entered his room and began to molest him. Ichigo was ashamed of his reactions and his weakness; he was revolted by the scent left on his skin and while the saliva could not be seen, he knew it had dried onto his body. The first thing that sixteen year old did was push himself into the bathroom, turning on the shower as hot as he could bear. Then Ichigo began to scrub furiously at his arms, legs, torso; anywhere that Ginjo had touched. He wanted the scent and residues _gone_.

The orange haired youth paid particular attention to a sore spot on his neck, lathering soap directly onto it.

Someone rapped against the door. Ichigo jumped slightly.

"Who is it?" he called over the sound of the showerhead.

"It's me. Don't take too long, alright? I know we really need to talk." Ichigo heard the concern in his father's voice. He turned the water off without hesitation, quickly wrapping a towel around his waist. As he stepped out of the shower, he caught sight of the mirror. Where there was no condensation, Ichigo could see a clear bruise almost as big as his palm. Panic crept into his gut, but he forced it down. The boy opened the door in time to see his father about to turn and leave.

"Dad..." There was a long moment that passed between them. They both wanted to say so much, but the words could not even form in their minds. Isshin only knew his son was pained and he drew his son into his arms without a second thought. Ichigo returned the hug, tearing up slightly. It felt reassuring to breathe in the familiar scent of aftershave, sweat, and the faint whiff of antiseptic. He felt safe.

"Shh," Isshin whispered as he stroked the damp hair of his son's head. "It's alright. That man is gone now."

Ichigo clung to his father tightly. He was reliving every moment that he could feel Ginjo's hands on him and it drove him insane. He wished that none of it had happened!

Someone came up the stairs with a surprisingly light footstep. Ichigo peeked over his father's shoulder and saw a guest with silver hair. He frowned.

"You're not Gin," he said in confusion. The man looked taken aback but he quickly recovered.

"No, I'm not," he replied. "But I know Gin, and I know your brother."

Ichigo turned his face up to his father with a questioning expression on his face. Isshin tried to smile.

"Hurry and get dressed; we have a lot to talk about," he said softly. The sixteen year old obeys, returning in less than a minute to hear them out. He is first introduced to the guests: Shinji he already knows, and Kensei he met outside the bathroom. Stark however was a completely different matter. The moment he caught sight of Stark, he froze. He wasn't sure why, or for what reason, but being around the brunette for the first five minutes left him completely astounded. Ichigo finally realized he had seen those grey eyes the night before. He sat down at once in the living room, waiting expectantly for explanations. Isshin decided to go first.

"I really hoped that I wouldn't have to tell you these things before you turned eighteen," the old goat admitted warily. "The only way I know how to start is by saying this: your mother and I were not born human. She came from a vampire clan and I came from a werewolve clan."

The three guests and the single father all waited to see how the orange haired youth would react. To their surprise he simply waited for his father to continue.

"When we got married, we decided to live a normal life and cut ties with our families. We lived as humans for six years, never quite expecting to have anything more than our simple, quiet life. Then Masaki discovered she was pregnant." Isshin gave a rueful chuckle. "Usually interracial couplings don't work out too well. Most mothers end up miscarrying."

"Is that why Shiro and I have no siblings?" Ichigo asked. The middle aged man shook his head.

"No, not quite. Masaki had problems giving birth to twins and the doctor that delivered you said that the next time would be more dangerous. We simply were more careful from then one." Isshin shifted uncomfortably, trying to figure out where he should continue from.

"We knew when you were born that you two favored our sides. Shiro was more like a vampire, you were more like a werewolve. Masaki thought it would be a good idea to arrange mates for you two in order to prevent any future disputes over you two," he explained. Ichigo's patience had began to wear down a little.

"Why would we be fought over?" he wanted to know. It was Stark who answered the question.

"All of the vampires and wolves that go through a Change have to find a mate. Those mates have to synchronize to them for a bond to take root." The brunette grinned. "People born with the genes you and your brother have can synchronize to anyone."

Ichigo didn't quite understand the mating and synchronization but decided to ignore that particular topic. "So Ginjo was supposed to be my mate...you have terrible taste, Dad."

Isshin guffawed. "It isn't my fault! He used to be a good man, you know. Shiro's chosen mate was his best friend. When he died...well, Ginjo changed.

"I told that man four years ago that he was not allowed to mate with you. I warned him to stay away and leave you alone. He even broke the original guideline I had set up where he wasn't even supposed to touch you until you graduated high school."

Ichigo absent mindedly rubbed the mark on his neck. "So what does Shiro have to do with this? I know he is alive, but where?"

Shinji laughed nervously. "He is a vampire now. He is staying with my coven. It's a mixture of vampires, werewolves, and mixed blood humans," he explained sheepishly. "I will admit that one of the reasons I befriended you was to learn more about the person who looked exactly like Shiro."

Kensei nodded in agreement. "The other reason is that your classmates are highly unusual characters. Five members are slayers. Your group of friends consists of a psychic, a witch, and a slayer that is fully human."

"Most slayers aren't?" Ichigo questioned. The blonde shook his head.

"Normal humans aren't enough to capture and kill the supernatural. The descendants of vampires and werewolves make the best slayers, like Kensei and I," he replied. Ichigo digested all of this information, inwardly wondering why he was taking all of this so well.

His parents weren't humans. His friends weren't either. His brother was a vampire now. Ichigo also had a deranged ex-fiancée that had molested him in his own house. There was no way he should be this calm. Ichigo frowned. The more he thought about it, the more some of it seemed familiar.

He blamed Shiro for being unable to keep his thoughts and knowledge to himself.

The sixteen year old sighed. "So why is Stark here?"

The grey eyed man crossed his arms.

"I'm here to watch over and investigate the twin brother of Shiromusha Kurosaki. Aizen, the head of our coven, said that he suspected your temporary illness was caused by Shiro, who was sick at the same time you were." The man's mouth quirked up. "He also wanted to make sure that some random person didn't spirit you away."

Isshin did not seem too impressed upon hearing this news.

"It is never good when the head of a clan becomes interested in an unaffiliated party like mine," he muttered. He relented, quickly realizing that Shiro was now a part of a coven, making his twin brother and his father extended family. "I actually have a question that I would like to ask your boss."

Stark raised an eyebrow, waiting for the request.

"How would he like it if Ichigo and I visited Shiro?" he asked. The grey eyed man thought about the question, drawing his phone out. He dialed a fe numbers into before holding it out towards Isshin.

"Ask him yourself."

_**Far Away From Karakura**_

Ichigo was leaning against the window of the car tiredly. He had been stuck in the car for three hours. Stark had kindly announced that he would be driving the father and son to Aizen's 'base', as it seemed to be called. Isshin had made his son pack a bag with a few changes of clothes and anything else he needed for entertainment. Then the old goat shoved Ichigo into the back seat, calling shotgun as Stark buckled himself into the driver's side. The sixteen year old didn't really want to hear his father chatter in the car, so he ended up sleeping for most of the way.

He was rather excited, the closer they came to their destination. Ichigo could almost feel his brother's presence and he was quite antsy during the last half hour of the trip (Isshin had grown too bored and fallen asleep some time after his son). Stark continually glanced back at the restless youth who never seemed to stop staring out of the window.

"I must admit that you impressed me," the grey eyed man told him after a while. It drew Ichigo's attention quite well. "Most people, had they been in your situation, would have panicked a lot more."

Ichigo scowled, running a hand through his hair for a moment. "A lot of it I already learned from the bond Shiro and I share. It wasn't that much of a shock."

Stark turned the car smoothly along the road's curvature.

"You were also attacked this morning," he pointed out seriously. His eyes flickered towards Ichigo's neck and the youth could have sworn he saw anger flickering in the gaze. "I may not know how humans do things, but any wolve that marks an unwilling mate deserves to be shot down like a rabid dog."

The orange haired teenager found himself shocked at the expression Stark used, and a little bit baffled by the slightly possessive tone. He could find no words to respond with and decided to turn away from the werewolve's piercing gaze. It unnerved him.

Ichigo was soon lost to the scenery once more. He saw a rich forest outside his window. There were a few deer dashing around, the road was small and well taken care of. To his surprise, it actually didn't seem to be a public road at all.

"Where are we?" he wanted to know. Stark hummed.

"We are on the estates. Aizen owns about twenty square miles of property here. It is guarded by the people who live here, though we keep our chain of command very small. I would say we have about two hundred members or so that are a part of the coven," he explained. In the distance Ichigo could see a large, mansion like home. He assumed that was their destination.

Isshin lifted his head and rolled his neck. "Considering I have had no run-ins with your clan, it's bigger than I thought. It seems safer and more private as well."

Stark simply nodded as he pulled up in front of the mansion. He parked the car and gesture to the building.

"We're here," he announced. The three males clambered out of the car. Ichigo looked around this way and that. Shiro was so close by that he felt as if his twin were right next to him. Without saying anything, the teenager began walking to the door, pulled by an invisible force. The second his hand touched the handle, the door jerked open and Ichigo found himself staring into his twin brother's face. For a moment, they simply stared at one another. It was such a long pause that a silver haired man appeared behind him, about to yell at him. The chastisement died on his tongue when he saw Ichigo.

In a flash, they had their arms wrapped around each others' waists, faces buried in the others' shoulders. The twins clung to one another, drinking in the presence of the one that they had missed. Neither one needed to say anything, although Ichigo punched him a couple of times to show Shiro how angry he was with him for disappearing. Finally they pulled away to stare into each others' faces.

"You look like shit," Shiro said with amusement and genuine concern. Ichigo chuckled, about to give him a witty reply when his albino twin caught sight of the mark on his neck. Shiro immediately reached out to touch it. "Ichi, what is this? Who did this to you?"

Isshin came up to save his youngest son from having to answer. He grinned at Shiro's face, wrapping the twins in his arms in a bear hug.

Allowing the family to reunite, Stark walked over to the speechless Gin.

"He has a twin," the vampire said numbly.

"Indeed. The resemblance is quite shocking," Stark agreed. He peeked inside. "Where is Aizen?"

Gin shook his eyes off of the touching scene before him. He pointed t the floor above him with a pained grimace.

"He's upstairs taking care of Grimmjow," he replied. "That wolve has an itch like nobody's business; he's been trying quite unsuccessfully to ease some of his sexual frustration."

Stark might have felt pity for Grimmjow. If he did not have the same problem on a daily basis. The rut cycle was quite frustrating and miserable. Stark hated it when he went through it. Some days were better than others (like the day he spent visiting Karakura). And some days he just slept through all of the pain and torture.

"When they're done, go ahead and take them to Shiro's room to hang out. I will be with Aizen, dealing with that blue haired brat." Gin grunted his agreement.

_**With Aizen and Grimmjow**_

"I understand that you can't do anything for me," the blue haired werewolve ground out as he lay sprawled on his bed. "But there must be some other way to get through this other than drinking tea or sleeping."

The brunette watched his ward dispassionately. "Figure it out on your own. I'm not here to do everything for you."

Grimmjow whined a few incoherent words. Aizen resisted the urge to face plant into his hands. He prayed that this particular wolve would find his mate as quickly as possible because he obviously wasn't capable of finding a way to keep the discomfort at bay while more pills were being made.

There was a soft knock on the door before Stark entered.

"I have Shiro's family here, waiting in his room," he told the man. Aizen gave Grimmjow a withering look.

"Watch him for a bit; I will go talk to our guests," he said. Stark nodded, waiting until Aizen was gone to shove Grimmjow to the side. The blue haired man growled.

"What the hell?" he demanded angrily. Stark collapsed onto the bed without another word and quickly fell asleep. Grimmjow jerked up on the bed and stared at the man in astonishment. He was a little bit leery of his fellow wolve and hurriedly slid out of the bed, sleeping into the hall outside of his room. He saw Aizen walking away and decided to catch up to him.

"Hey, wait up!" he called eagerly. The brunette stiffened. He gave Grimmjow the coldest glare he could muster. Then he purposely walked away from the young wolve.

_**Shiro's Room**_

"So you jumped my boy and turned him without even knowing his name?"Isshin asked with a raised eyebrow. Gin nodded uneasily. He had never really thought about having to meet Shiro's parents and he was reluctant to say anything. Especially when that make out session was still fresh in his mind (though Shiro didn't seem to remember any of it).

Isshin scratched his chin, thinking over how he should react to this situation. He didn't approve of the way his son had been turned, but their relationship made him think that Gin was not really a bad person. He would even hazard to guess that there was a little romantic spark between the vampire and Shiro.

"Could have been worse," he mused aloud. The albino was sitting on the bed with his brother, their arms intertwined and fingers laced together. He turned to look at Ichigo.

"You never told me what happened," he said softly. The vibrant twin glanced at the ground.

"Dad picked a psychopath to mate me," he replied gloomily. Isshin began sputtering as all eyes turned to him.

"I did not! Ginjo was perfectly sane when the agreement was made," he argued. A soft chuckle caught everyone's attention. Ichigo's eyes widened as he caught sight of two more men from his dreams. The brunette with unusually textured hair, and the man with strange blue hair.

"I am glad that was not the case, Kurosaki. I make an effort for everyone to be treated properly and mating someone to a 'psychopath' would go against the morals I set up here," the brunette announced. He gave a surprisingly crisp smile. "I am Aizen. Shiro is one of the people under my care."

The blue haired man, who had been growling profanities, stopped when he saw Ichigo.

"Snowflake has a twin," he said blankly. Shiro automatically bristled upon hearing the name.

"I'm not a snowflake," he snapped angrily. Aizen turned to his companion with a slightly irritated expression.

"Grimmjow, you were supposed to stay in the room with Stark," he murmured. Grimmjow scowled.

"He took my bed!"

Ichigo tried to smother his laugh in the hopes it would not be heard. Grimmjow turned sharp blue eyes onto the sixteen year old and narrowed them. "What are you laughing at _strawberry_?"

The laughter stopped. Brown eyes burned angrily.

"My name isn't strawberry," he ground out. Shiro sensed the change in his brother and immediately let go of his arm. He had half a mind to warn Grimmjow that his brother was easily pissed off, but he decided it would be fun to see how things went.

"You sure look like a strawberry," Grimmjow retorted, moving so that his face was right in front of Ichigo's. "A small, cute, fruity-"

The teenager finally snapped. He punched Grimmjow with enough force to knock the man's head back. The wolve growled angrily and lunged at Ichigo, pinning him to the bed.

"The fuck is wrong with you?" he demanded. Ichigo thrust a knee into the man's stomach and shoved him off with fuming eyes.

"What's wrong with me?" he repeated. "How about telling me what's wrong with _you_!"

Aizen quickly pulled Grimmjow away, shoving him into the hallway just as Isshin grabbed his son and settled him back on the bed. The brunette bowed his head apologetically.

"Grimmjow usually makes it his goal to get on people's nerves," he said by way of explaining. He cleared his throat and spread his hands out. "Are you satisfied by your son's environment?"

Isshin glanced at the door with a wary smile, nodding. "Yes, I am. I actually came here to request something from you."

Aizen tilted his head to the side slightly. "What request do you have?"

Isshin looked towards his sons.

"I don't have the power I need to protect Ichigo from Ginjo, the one that will try to forcefully mate him," he admitted softly. He looked into Aizen's cool brown eyes. "I wanted to know if you would allow Ichigo to stay here until Ginjo is dealt with."


	9. Chapter 9

**I would love to say I forgot to update this but the truth is that I did not. I had an extreme case of writer's block and rewrote this chapter three times. In the past three days I have written the next three chapters as well, although this is mostly a bi-weekly update. If any of you are following the Tempest, I will try to update tomorrow, but no promises. Please enjoy this late chapter, though.**

**Chapter 9**

**A Party?**

Ichigo stirred. He wondered why he felt so warm and comfortable in a bed that was so obviously not his. The youth rolled over, blinking at the sunlight spilling into the foreign room. It shone on a head of white hair. It made a halo around the face of someone he knew very well. Ichigo sat up very quickly, finding his arms and legs entangled with his brother's. Shiro grumbled as he too began to wake up a little bit.

"Ichi, what are you doing?" he wondered groggily. He sounded a little bit irritated as well.

"The sun-you're a vampire," he explained, stumbling over his words a little. A heavy pillow crashed onto his head. The younger twin yelped in surprise.

"I'm not affected by sunlight," Shiro growled. "Go back to sleep."

The sixteen year old took the pillow away from his face as he watched Shiro attempting to return into the world of dreams. He reached out and shook the pale shoulder to make sure his brother didn't go back to sleep.

"The hell?" Shiro demanded. He blinked up at Ichigo's face, recognizing that particular expression. He groaned loudly and forced himself up onto his elbows. "Okay, I get it. What do you want?"

"Is your friend Gin like that too?"

"No, Gin is a normal vampire. And he isn't my friend, he's my sire, the person who Changed me."

"So he's your boyfriend then?" Shiro stared at his brother.

"You woke me up this early to ask me whether or not my sire is my boyfriend. There is something wrong with you." Shiro rubbed his face tiredly. "No, he isn't my boyfriend."

Ichigo waggled his eyebrows in an uncharacteristic gesture. "You'd like him to be."

The albino glared at him, quickly retaliating.

"Yeah, well who is it that you like? If I recall correctly, you seemed to be having a _very_ nice dream-"

Ichigo immediately blushed. This was not something he had expected his brother to bring up. He hadn't really remembered the dream until his twin mentioned it.

"Sorry, I've been having them for the past few days..."

"Ginjo?" Shiro asked quietly. Suddenly he wished that he had said nothing. Ichigo shuddered.

"God no!" he answered. The blush deepened. "I didn't know who they were about, but now...I know."

"They," the albino repeated stupidly. Then he began to laugh. "You had a dream about more than one person? I never expected that from you. Who are they?"

"Stark, Aizen, and Grimmjow."

Shiro stopped laughing at once. He would be the first to admit that trio was hot. He had in fact fantasized about each one of them (with the exception of Aizen) on more than one occasion. He wouldn't mind Stark dating his brother; the wolve was sweet and loyal. He could see Aizen as the sensible counterpart to his brother's more wild side. Grimmjow on the other hand was the one he did not trust with Ichigo at all. As an entire group, Shiro did not want his little brother to have that type of relationship.

"Stay as far away from them as possible," he ordered sharply. "Especially Grimmjow, because he is even more impulsive than you are."

Ichigo rolled his eyes at the expected warning. "I came here looking to get away from a relationship, Shiro. Not go _towards_ one. Besides, I don't even know them."

"You were probably seeing my fantasies," Shiro mused. Now that he thought about it, he _had_ dreamed about a foursome with those three wolves. Ichigo saw the contemplative look, his eyes widening. He slapped Shiro's bare shoulder.

"You're such a pervert!" he snapped angrily. "Remember that we can share dreams, you moron!"

Shiro laughed at his brother and rubbed the spot on his arm that had been struck. "I prefer the term 'nympho'."

Ichigo shoved his older brother out of the bed at that point. The albino landed with an unceremonious yelp on the floor. When he looked down at Shiro, he wasn't expecting to see the warm smile.

"I missed you, Ichi," he confessed. Ichigo's anger faded and he reached out to touch his twin's pale cheek. He returned the smile.

"I missed you too, Shiro," he whispered. They remained like that for what seemed like an eternity before Shiro's stomach growled.

"If only we didn't get hungry," Shiro joked. He stood up stretching. "At least meals are served all the time.

"Really? Who does the cooking?" Ichigo asked with genuine curiosity.

"The ghosts," Shiro replied nonchalantly. He walked towards the closet as Ichigo processed that piece of information.

"Ghosts are_ real_?" he asked dumbly.

**In the Dining Room**

The curtains had been drawn closed in order to accommodate the vampires that came into the dining room at odd times through the course of the day. At about the time the twins had begun to dress, Grimmjow struggled to wake up over his first cup of coffee, Stark dozed on the table while waiting to be served breakfast. And Aizen was listening to Gin's dilemma.

"I have fallen for Shiro so hard," he said miserably. "Shortly before his brother came here, we started kissing because of the bloodlust and-"

"You slept with him," Grimmjow guessed bluntly. Stark cracked an eye open, kicking the younger wolve before returning to sleep. The blue wolve grunted lightly, falling silent once more.

"No, I put him on the couch, refusing to sleep with him. Now Shiro...is mad at me." Gin had been struggling to find the right words. Aizen appeared to be mildly amused.

"Perhaps he wanted you to continue," the brunette suggested mildly.

"No, it was the lust he got from drinking my blood. It's like alcohol," Gin replied. "And look at what I've done to him: I turned him into a vampire and ruined his life."

Grimmjow snorted. "I guess you haven't seen the way he looks at you then. Makes me so jealous, because I would _love_ to get a bit of that ass."

Before anyone could rebuke him for his crude words, the two twins walked into the dining room. Shiro had one arm draped around Ichigo's waist and Ichigo had his arm joked around Shiro's waist.. Blue eyes flickered onto them, drawing in their posture towards one another.

"Have you two ever 'experimented' together?" Grimmjow asked with a perverted grin. Both Kurosaki twins glared at him, though Shiro had to tighten his grip on Ichigo when he felt his brother about to lash out towards the wolve. Months of submersion had desensitized him to Grimmjow's vulgarity.

"I would greatly appreciate it if you did not say things like that in this room," Aizen announced calmly, although his eyes held a threat in them. When the youngest wolve settled under his gaze, he then gesture towards two available seats. "Please, take a seat. Breakfast will be available shortly."

They obeyed. Shiro sat by Grimmjow, and Ichigo sat by Stark. Gin was directly in front of the orange haired twin, Aizen at the head. The room was silent for a moment.

"We heard you all talking," Ichigo finally said. Grimmjow chuckled as Gin averted his gaze. But Ichigo wasn't done addressing the matter yet. "Shiro has always acted on his hormones, I would agree with you on that. But he honestly likes you."

Shiro looked at his brother in shock and opened his mouth to say something. Ichigo slapped his hand over it. He stared at Gin expectantly.

"So I have one question: are you simply a horny bastard or do you like my brother as well?"

Gin looked speechless. Aizen appeared amused. Stark was observing from slit eyes, and Grimmjow watched the entire scene with mild interest.

"I-I like him," Gin stammered out. Shiro's eyes widened.

"Then what are you waiting for?" Grimmjow demanded. "If you aren't going to talk with him about this, then I will be glad to-"

Gin blurred. He snatched Shiro away from Ichigo and they disappeared out of the dining room. The sixteen year old hoped it was to talk things out, but knowing his brother, they would probably get a little side tracked. And frisky.

"Do you always act so impulsively?" Aizen wondered aloud. Ichigo didn't really think that counted as impulsive behavior. He had simply been straight forward.

"I like it," Grimmjow told him. He leaned across the now empty chair, closer to Ichigo. "I think you would be fun to fight. Do you want to skip this meal and go fight?"

Aizen had just been about to drink his tea, since it had cooled off. He reluctantly put it back down when he heard these words.

"You have already been told to refrain from saying things like that," the brunette sighed. Grimmjow frowned.

"What's wrong with a bit of sparring?" he asked in confusion. Stark opened his eyes fully and straightened in his chair. He blinked when he saw that Ichigo had scooted closer to him that when Gin and Shiro had left the room.

"Sparring has initiated mating before; I do not think that our guest would appreciate being mated so young."

Grimmjow rudely poked at the hickey on Ichigo's neck.

"This isn't a mate's marking?" he asked doubtfully. Ichigo slapped the offending hand away with a frown.

"That mark was forcefully made, and is not a 'marking' at all," Stark informed him. Grimmjow immediately looked at the sixteen year old. He floundered about for something to say, stuttering several times in the process. Finally he came out with a simple apology for bringing up the hickey.

Ichigo might have said something a bit rude just to anger the wolve, but then he saw bowls floating in the air. He was fascinated as each dish was set before them with no evidence of anyone carrying them or having strings attached to them. It was just as Shiro had explained: there were ghosts in the house acting as servants.

Aizen watched the awed expression on Ichigo's face as the young man began to poke at the food with a spoon.

"Shiro never told us his birthday," Aizen said abruptly, regaining the attention of Ichigo. He suddenly wondered why he wanted it. Aizen never really enjoyed conversations with more than a handful of people; they never had a spark of intelligence in the choice of topic. It wasn't likely that Ichigo would enjoy intellectual conversations, but Aizen found himself hoping to continue talking to the sixteen year old.

"It's July 15th," Ichigo answered automatically. He grew suspicious when both Grimmjow and Stark brightened considerably.

"That is only two days away," Aizen murmured. He raised his voice a bit louder. "I suppose this means we should tell the others."

Stark saw Ichigo's confused expression and smiled at him. "Since there are about two hundred people staying here, Aizen limited the number of birthdays we can celebrate to the permanent residents. There are only about twenty of them, so we really look forward to birthdays."

Grimmjow chair-hopped, slinging an arm over Ichigo's shoulders.

"What's so great about these celebrations is that none of Aizen's strict rules apply," he explained eagerly and with a fire in his eye. "It's like a huge party: we get to drink as much alcohol as we want, smoke anything we want, we get to brawl, have crazy sex with people who are unmated- it's great!"

Ichigo briefly reflected that it sounded like a normal part to him, just on a large scale. He glanced at Aizen and noticed the man did not seem as happy about the partying as the other two did.

"Luckily the rules are back in place the next day," the brunette said in a low voice. Ichigo began to feel a little bad for him. He wasn't too fond of wild celebrations either.

"We haven't had a birthday in ages," Stark whispered to Ichigo. "That means that this one will be a little wilder than the other ones."

Ichigo grimaced. "I haven't ever really drank that much alcohol before, nor have I fooled around to much."

Grimmjow heard. He drew Ichigo closer to his side with a laugh. "Don't worry, I'll be gentle!"

At that point Ichigo had enough of the wolve's flirting. He elbowed him in the stomach as hard as he could, inwardly wondering about the party. He supposed it could be fun.

"I guess I wouldn't mind going," he said thoughtfully. Aizen made an undignified noise.

"It isn't as if you had a choice in the matter," he replied. "I can only hope that I am not the one who has to tell your father that you were put in the wrong hands after all."


	10. Chapter 10

**Alright, I will start calling this fic the Butt Muncher. I like writing it, don't get me wrong, but the typing is a pain. Why, oh why are my chapters so long? Anyways, enjoy!**

**Chapter10**

**A Birthday Surprise**

"Don't be so stiff," Shiro cackled as his brother pulled on a pair of skinny jeans and a skin tights shirt. The jeans were charcoal grey, and the T-Shirt was bright white with neon designs.

"I like _slim_ fit clothes, not this crap," Ichigo growled. It had been three days since he had first woken up here in Los Noches. Ichigo used to have a bag filled with some clothes, but they had mysteriously disappeared, forcing him to borrow his brother's.

"Suck it up, little bro." The albino gave him a crazed grin. "Today's our birthday. We're going to party all. Night. Long."

Ichigo adjusted his clothes with a glare. "Fine. But you had better get laid!"

"Why?" Shiro asked with a raised eyebrow. The younger brother gave him a sickly sweet smile. He batted his eyelashes a couple of times.

"Because the sooner you move into Gin's room, the sooner this room becomes my own."

Shiro snorted. "Not going to happen. I spent my first few months in Gin's room. I like having my own, and his is just across the hall, anyways."

Ichigo was a little surprised at hearing about his brother staying with Gin for a while. He had learned a bit about the supernatural beings here over the last two days. Vampires had a fledgling-sire system. He supposed it wasn't too outlandish for his brother to have stayed with Gin at first.

"Well that sucks," Ichigo finally said. Then he smiled. "Oh well, I kind of missed sharing a room with you."

Shiro studied his brother as he stripped out of his night clothes. "You don't have to worry about becoming a wolve or something do you? I mean, if another wolve bites you, that would make you one too, right?"

Ichigo held his chin thoughtfully.

"I'm not entirely sure," he replied slowly. "A vampire had to change you in order for you to become one, so maybe it's the same thing."

"Don't look at me," the albino said defensively. "I'm a vampire. Ask a werewolve about something like that."

Ichigo sighed. He really didn't like talking with any of his 'own kind'. There was something about them that he didn't trust. There were a few exceptions of course. Grimmjow was an honest person, almost always looking for a fight. Aizen was pretty impartial. And Stark seemed friendly. Those were the only people he trusted to be around. And only one of them he felt comfortable enough to ask about werewolves.

*********Outside**********

"If a werewolve bites a human within a week of the full moon, drawing blood," Stark explained, "then that human has about a twenty-five percent chance of turning."

"That low?" Ichigo asked incredulously. He hadn't expected to hear that there were restrictions or that the chance was so small.

"Whereas vampires can turn as many as they want, we cannot. We also only possess males in our race, so many of the born-wolves have two fathers. There are rare cases in which a vampire or human can birth a half breed."

"Like me and Shiro," Ichigo murmured slowly.

Stark nodded. "It is even more for the mother to be a vampire, but I have met others with your situation. Technically you are a werewolve; your genes are simply in dormancy. There are several things that can activate them. For example, if a werewolve draws blood using teeth; you have sex with someone; if you mate, it can activate them."

Ichigo was thankful Ginjo had not drawn blood. He leaned against the his chair. They were seated at a table on the patio, and Stark had kindly woken from his afternoon nap to talk with him.

"What exactly is mating?" he asked. "Does it have anything to do with Alphas, or markings?"

"Yes and no. A marking is simply a bite that draws blood. It is a precursor to mating, like an engagement if you will." Stark hesitated. "However a marking can be made permanent when consummation occurs."

Ichigo tried not to blush at the word.

"Mating is a little bit different. It requires werewolve magic to bind a pair together, something instinctual. And it can only be created consensually. I don't know how to explain it," Stark apologized.

"And Alphas?" Ichigo asked.

"Alphas are simply 'leaders'. There aren't very many of them, though I, Aizen, and Grimmjow are. "

Ichigo drank in every word. It was interesting to hear about markings; that seemed to be more like what he thought mating would be, but perhaps not. According to Shiro, werewolves possessed mates. While vampires could be their mate, vampires didn't always have them. And mates had to 'match up' with each other. As half vampire, half wolve, would he have a mate?

"I don't know if I am disappointed that I can't have sex without out changing or if I'm relieved," he admitted bluntly. Stark scraped an eye over Ichigo.

"I think you wanted a little more freedom to do as you wish," he replied. "But if it is your wish to remain as a dormant werewolve, then I suggest you try not to bite people."

"I can turn people?" Ichigo exclaimed in horror.

"No!" Stark was shaking his head emphatically. "No, I meant that biting is simply a turn on for werewolves and vampires. It's an invitation to us."

The orange haired thought about it. It made sense, especially when he thought back to the incident with Gin and Shiro. His brother had told him that it felt good to drink his sire's blood. It had turned both of them on, and made Ichigo a little curious as to experience something similar himself.

"Biting is off limits, no sex. Is there anything else I need to worry about?" he asked. The lazy man yawned.

"Unless we get the fae or incubi here, then no," Stark answered. He noticed the uncomfortable expression on Ichigo's face. He recognized it. The now seventeen year old had just became aware of his hormones. They made him curious towards dating, kissing, sex; and considering how easily embarrassed Ichigo was, Stark was pretty sure he felt ashamed of it.

"It's natural to want to do these things, Ichigo."

The orange haired Kurosaki grimaced. He hadn't meant to be so easy to read. "It isn't that, really. I just wanted to save it for someone I actually care about. Someone I love. And being a werewolve makes it more difficult for me to find someone, right?"

"I will admit, the longer life span does not mean you will find someone quickly," Stark told him. "I myself have waited over a century. I haven't kept my chastity like you want to do, but it hasn't helped any."

Ichigo saw the longing in Stark's eyes. It made Ichigo sad.

"Well, at least we can suffer together." He looked up at the sky and scowled. "It looks like it wants to rain on my _birthday_."

**At the Kurosaki Clinic**

Isshin carefully wrapped the gauze around Shinji's forearm. Kensei stood nearby, watching every move.

"So a _human_ slayer did this?" he asked. He already had a suspicion as to the person's identity.

"Yes. He was one of Ichigo's classmates, a friend," Shinji replied. "He didn't appear to be part of the organization, though he apparently teamed up with them in order to investigate your son's disappearance."

Isshin finished the wrap. He would have to talk to Ishida the elder about collaring Uryuu. With Ginjo and slayers running around Karakura, things would quickly escalate into complexity. Many secrets would be exposed.

"Let me deal with that," Isshin told them. "Is there anything else I should know?"

"I don't think so. The slayers are still here. There is no sign of Ginjo," Kensei added. "Where did you meet that guy anyways?"

Isshin went over to the sink so that he could wash his hand. There was a small smile on his mouth.

"Slayers' Corps. At that time they allowed vampires and werewolves to work with them as well; it's how I met Shiro's betrothed, Ishida, and my wife," he replied carefully. Isshin watched their expressions, not surprised to see that they so easily accepted his story.

Shinji chuckled ruefully. "Kensei and I used to work for them as well. We can't exactly judge you too harshly for what we ourselves have done."

The blonde's smile faded.

"Do you miss your sons?" he asked. The old werewolve snorted.

"What a foolish question. He pinned Shinji with a hard stare. "I could barely go through the day when Shiro left. Now that Ichigo is gone as well, the only comfort I have is in knowing that they are both safe. I want them back."

Isshin leaned against the counter, looking uncharacteristically sad.

"Today my boys turned seventeen."He looked at the clock; half an hour to midnight. Isshin pulled his phone out and dialed the number Aizen had given him. It was Shiro's room phone number. No one answered (he wasn't surprised, but disappointed nonetheless).

"Hey Ichigo, Shiromusha. I just wanted to tell you happy birthday." Isshin smirked. "And don't forget to have protection okay~"

Kensei raised an eyebrow at that line, obviously finding amusement in that last line.

"Daddy loves you both very much! So good night, and sleep tight!"

The man hung up, catching the stares. Isshin scowled at them.

"It's not like I want them to worry," he grumbled. He had successfully managed to call them without letting any of his worry through. Ginjo was still on his mind. He may have looked calm and collected but inside...

Isshin had an animal inside of him raging for the blood of the one who had hurt his son.

**The Next Morning, Los Noches**

Ichigo's first stirrings had been caused by the morning light. It confused him at first, like it always did, but then he remembered that his brother was not a normal vampire. The seventeen year old sighed and snuggled deeper under the warm covers. He could feel the cool air wafting over his bare shoulder. A strong heart beat under his ear. Shiro's chest had never felt so firm or smooth. A callous hand cupped his hip as he lay on it. Someone else was resting their head against his lower back.

Ichigo opened his eyes in confusion. The chest he saw beneath him, though pale, was darker than Shiro's Neither did the calloused, or the head on his back.

The young man carefully tilted his head up, heart leaping into his throat. He craned his head to see who was laying on him. His stomach plummeted.

And when he carefully turned his head to see the owner of the hand, his breath caught.

Ichigo had been using Stark's chest as a pillow, the strong beating heart belonged to him. On his lower back Grimmjow nuzzled into him much like a cat would. And whereas Stark, Grimmjow, and Ichigo was huddled together, the last person was as far away from the as possible with his limbs sprawled out. It was Aizen whose hand Ichigo was laying on.

Ichigo eased himself up, wincing at the stiffness in his body. He feared he knew the reason for why he was naked. It wasn't as if he could feel much, for his body was oddly numb. He could only pray that he hadn't really slept with these three wolves, that the fuzzy memories of them being inside him had been a dream.

Ichigo suddenly felt trapped when he eased too far up. He felt Grimmjow shift in his slip before moving an arm over Ichigo's waist to loosely hold him. The seventeen year old froze, fearful that he had woken up the wolve. It was then he realized that he couldn't possibly get away without waking one of them; they were all touching too much.

"The hell did we do?" he wondered. He had nothing more than a few fuzzy recollections, and none of those could explain the cuddling.

"Ichigo, what are you doing in my room?" Ichigo turned to meet cool grey eyes.


	11. HELP

**I am so sorry that this is not an update, and the news I have will probably make you dissappointed.**

**i am currently trying to finish this fic, and after the chapter of my other one is posted, I will only work on this one. But there has been a question I need to ask you before any new chapter gets put up. Should this fiction remain as Rated T or should it be Rated M?**

**If it remains at T, there will be strong hints of these the characters are doing, but no description.**

**If it is rated M, there will be lemons and a few limes. The bad part is that they will be my first ones and I cannot account for the quality (they may be terrible).**

**Please tell me what you think of my dilemma. I am truly stuck on chapter 14 and don't know if it should remain T or be put as M.**

**Thank you all and I'm sorry this wasn't an update.**


	12. Chapter 11

**I am sorry for the delay, truly. I have been busy for a few things for school, and a few personal matters. Good news is I have written up to Chapter 18. Bad news is that the chapters need to be posted. I apologize once more for the wait, and hope that you enjoy this chapter!**

**Chapter 11**

**It Could Have Been Worse**

"Ichigo, what are you doing in my room?" Stark repeated. He blinked in surprise when the young werewolve's mouth opened and no words parted.

"You don't remember?" Ichigo asked. There was a whirl of emotions that sunk in his gut. He wasn't quite sure why he felt disappointed, when he should have felt relieved. He wanted to make sure that the few memories he had were real and not dreams. OR he prayed that they were dreams.

Stark cast his gaze over Grimmjow and towards Aizen. Grey eyes narrowed slightly and recollection gathered in the confused depths. He turned back to Ichigo in surprise. "You marked us..."

"I did what?" Ichigo asked, his eyes widened. The young man began to panic and his voice rose loud enough to wake Aizen up. "No, there is no way that-no, please tell me we aren't!"

The leader of Los Noches rolled onto his side, quickly processing the situation. He saw Ichigo panicking and immediately reached out towards the seventeen year old, who jumped upon feeling the touch on his bare shoulder.

"Calm down," Aizen ordered gently. "Take breaths. In; and then out."

Ichigo obeyed the mandate. He sucked air in as slowly as he could, held it, and then released. He repeated the process several times and soon found himself calmer. The hand on his shoulder squeezed him gently.

"It's not the end of the world," Aizen said softly. He shared a look with Stark, who nodded in agreement.

"It isn't something to panic about right now," the brunette with longer haired added.

"But I marked you!" Ichigo's face turned redder as he recalled his entire night with the men. "A-And we slept together. Doesn't that mean it's something to worry about?"

Stark looked the young man over with a cursory glance. "You aren't hurt, are you?"

"I'm a little numb," Ichigo admitted. He also felt dirty, covered in sweat and other substances he didn't wish to name. Although he was glad that they had 'consummated' the bond elsewhere. He preferred having the clean sheets. Ichigo glanced over at the wolves. Grimmjow was the only one on top of the comforter and still effectively pinned the young man to the bed. Aizen was between the sheet and comforter, as was Stark. He dimly wondered why but decided it a better idea not to question it.

"That is a good thing," Aizen said with a friendly smile. "I understand that you probably feel embarrassed and nervous, and that you have many questions. However you should probably take a shower before we talk about what happened last night."

The orange head jerked up. "We're going to talk about it?"

"Of course," Stark replied. "Being marked is serious business and it is wise to know where we all stand. If you go get cleaned up, you can check yourself for any markings we may have given you."

Ichigo's face had died down to a simple pink. The red flooded back into his face.

"Alright," he agreed. The young man's head drooped a little. "Uhm...can you move Grimmjow off? He's too heavy for me to get up."

Stark and Aizen pushed the younger Alpha off without hesitation. Ichigo sat up quickly, clutching the sheet to him. He reached for bathrobe hanging off the bed knob and used it to cover himself. Ichigo hesitated to leave the room for fear that the two would disappear.

"We'll be here," Stark promised him, a look in his eye that was far gentler than any he had been given before. "Just take a shower; there will be food for you when you get out and we can talk this through."

****..**..**..**..**..**..****

Ichigo peeked out of the bathroom and caught sight of the three Alphas. Stark and Aizen sat on the bed dressed in clean clothes. There were two sets laid out, one that Ichigo recognized as belonging to his brother.

The seventeen year old cleared his throat. "Can you hand me some clothes please?"

Stark turned towards him with a smile. He took up the neatly folded stack and carried it over. Ichigo took them gratefully, closing the door once more. A few minutes later he exited from the bathroom and walked over to the bed. He chuckled when he saw Grimmjow on the floor with the comforter cast over him in a careless manner.

Aizen gestured to a tray that had been set behind him. "Would you like something to eat?"

"The toast would be nice," Ichigo replied as he settled down onto the bed. He suddenly felt hyper aware of the two men and had developed a shyness that he couldn't quite understand.

_This seems too awkward_, he thought to himself.

"We don't mean to embarrass you," Aizen informed the young man, handing over the plate that had toast, bacon, and eggs. Ichigo took it.

"But talking this out seems like an unusual thing to do."

"Would you rather us forget about everything?" Stark asked. "We simply wanted to make sure that you are okay. Being marked is emotionally tolling. Not only that, but you lost your virginity last night as well, did you not?"

Ichigo averted his gaze. "I wasn't marked," he mumbled. He nibbled at the toast.

"Then there is one good thing that came out of this," Stark replied. He saw Ichigo's curiosity and pushed his hair to the side. The young man gasped as he saw the distinctive bite mark just behind the ear. He looked towards Aizen expectantly. The man exposed the skin of his hip. Sure enough, there was the same bite mark.

"I marked both of you?" Ichigo exclaimed in horror. "How is that good?"

"Werewolves enter rut cycles until they find a mate. These cycles become increasingly painful with age," Aizen explained. "Being marked will regulate the rut cycle to an annual matter lasting only one or two days now. Although Grimmjow will probably react differently."

"I marked all three of you? Please tell me that you're joking," Ichigo begged.

"We aren't," Stark replied. "That's why we need to know where we stand now. What do you think of trying to make a relationship out of this mess?"

Ichigo was speechless. He wasn't entirely sure he was even thinking rationally at this point.

The young man swallowed hard and forced himself to think about the question. He liked Stark as a friend; after all Stark was the one he interacted with the most aside from Shiro. Grimmjow was annoying and headstrong, but he seemed to be likeable enough (when not trying to annoy Ichigo). And Aizen was still a mystery.

"I don't know," he said slowly, unsure of his own answer. Suddenly Grimmjow began to stir slowly He blinked his eyes open and then sat up. After looking around his eyes stopped on Ichigo. The blue haired werewolve rushed up, grabbing the seventeen year old by the shoulders.

"Ichi, are you okay?" he asked. Ichigo was surprised by the question and the genuine concern in vivid blue eyes.

"Yes, I'm fine," he replied. "Why do you ask?"

"You said it hurt. Last night, you said it hurt. Do you still feel any pain?"

Ichigo shook his head. The grip on his shoulders relaxed a little, not letting go.

"Ichigo, we need to know," Aizen prompted. "Do you want to try to create a relationship with all three of us?"

Ichigo chewed his lip. While Grimmjow looked confused, he still seemed to be concerned about his well being. Stark was someone he trusted. And Aizen...

_Why is this so complicated?_ He wondered. _I barely know them, and we just had sex because we were apparently drunk. I can't be crazy enough to want to have a relationship with three men!_

The young man looked at the Alpha's waiting faces; Aizen had explained everything to Grimmjow and there was a spark there. Hope. Stark had it, as did Aizen.

_I must be insane..._

"Yes, I would like to try to have a relationship," he finally whispered. He looked towards them. "Just- no sex yet, okay?"

It was Grimmjow who surprised him. The usually brash wolve took his wrist up and pressed a kiss against the pulse. "We would never force you," he murmured gently.

**Okay, so Grimmjow is out of character there, but he really doesn't want to see Ichigo snap. To be honest this is my least favorite chapter. It's so awkward! Blame Ichigo, he's the nervous wreck. Luckily for him, Aizen and Stark sat him down to talk.**

**There was originally more to this chapter, but I sort of improvised this from the other draft and cut it in half. **


	13. Chapter 12

**So this is the next chapter. It's a little improvised. Hope you enjoyed that previous chapter. Still can't get over how awkward it felt! Blegh!**

**Chapter 12**

**First Romance**

Ichigo walked into his brother's room. There was a slight limp to his gait, although he still felt numb from his night's activities. He was surprised. Perhaps being a werewlove had its perks after all.

"Where have you been?" Shiro asked. He was smiling, picking up dirty laundry from the floor. Ichigo glanced at the bed which he was relieved to find it in the same condition as he had left it. He collapsed onto it, buying his face in the pillows.

"Are you okay?" the albino asked. He sat down next to his brother, dropping the clothes in favor of running a soothing hand along his brother's back. "Hey, what's wrong?"

The orange haired twin gave out a long groan. "I did something really stupid…"

"It can't be as stupid as Gin spiking all of the drinks last night," Shiro replied lightly. Ichigo turned his head so he could fix the albino with a glare.

"This is _his_ fault?"

Shiro shivered at the ice in his brother's voice. He smiled weakly. "What happened?"

Ichigo's glare softened. He curled onto his side and took a hold of his brother's hand.

"I marked them. Stark, Aizen, and Grimmjow," he said softly. "They're bound to me now."

The fledgling's mouth dropped. "How did that happen?!"

"Well, thanks to your boyfriend, we ended up sleeping together," he growled angrily. "And when I bit them, it marked them. They are like my fiancés now."

Shiro saw the conflict in Ichigo's eyes and pushed aside his curiosity. He pulled his twin close to him until they were side by side. He ran a pale hand through vibrant locks of hair. They were still damp from a shower and Shiro couldn't help but notice his brother smelled faintly of Stark.

"So what does that mean?" he asked as gently as possible.

"I don't know," the younger brother admitted. "We've decided to try working out a relationship, so I suppose they're my boyfriends now…I can't even say we're a couple!"

Shiro chuckled. "That's going to be really hard, though. Being in a relationship with three Alphas sounds pretty intimidating. What made you even agree to it?"

"I don't know," he groaned. Ichigo buried his face into his brother's shoulder. "They were looking at me with these eyes, and I couldn't help but say yes to them."

Shiro was surprised by his brother's admission. Usually Ichigo was not affected by puppy dog eyes. It seemed as though there was perhaps something more to the story that not even Ichigo himself. Shiro knew that Ichigo was attracted to people who held firmly to their beliefs, and those that were not afraid of acting as themselves. Certainly that odd trio created prime examples, for all of them stood out from normal people for various reasons.

"So are you mated now?" Shiro asked. Ichigo shook his head.

"No, I'm not even marked. Anyways, mating is apparently more of a private ceremony," he replied. "Stark didn't really explain it to me, because it was complex. However, he did say it was rather hard to become mated to someone by accident."

"What a shame," Shiro teased. "The old man would love to know that his youngest finally tied the knot."

Ichigo elbowed his brother in the stomach. "Don't even joke about that! I don't even know them well enough to marry them."

Shiro winced as the minor injury began to heal. Then his expression became more serious.

" Seriously, though Ichi, you're lucky." Shiro gazed solemnly at his brother. "They are good men. Unorthodox at times, but they truly care for the people that they interact with and they are very loyal. If you were to be with someone, then I'm glad it's them."

The orange haired twin pinkened before looking down. "It's not as if I don't know that," he murmured. His face lit up at that moment. "As a matter of fact, Stark is going to take me out tomorrow to get me some clothes."

Shiro's mouth widened into a perverted grin. Ichigo scowled, punching his brother in the arm.

"Not like that, you moron!" he snapped. "He just noticed that I wear your clothes all the time and thought it would be good for me to have my own."

The albino laughed. "You know I was kidding!" Twinkling eyes turned onto Ichigo thoughtfully. "But you should take the opportunity to get o know him better."

"You mean like a date?" Ichigo asked suspiciously.

"Like a date," Shiro confirmed.

"Are you tired?" the seventeen year old asked his companion. Stark had been walking through the city with him for hours, the longest time that Ichigo had seen him function without napping.

"Sleeping is more a habit than a necessity," Stark explained. "Rut cycles are very painful, as we've told you before. Each wolve does something to take his mind off of it. I would sleep; Aizen would drink tea; and Grimmjow didn't really have enough time to develop his own habit."

"It would probably be fighting," Ichigo mused, more than a touch of irritation at hearing the blue wolve's name. Stark's lips twitched in amusement.

"Yes, it probably would be fighting," he agreed. Ichigo saw the laughter in the grey eyes and smiled to himself. He was surprised at how comfortable it was to be around his friend. Once he got over the initial shock that they had slept together and that he had marked him. He looked around, catching sight of the car that held all of the bags of clothes they had bought. Ichigo still felt a little guilty since he didn't pay for it, but Stark assured him that Los Noches had a budget for matters such as this and it wasn't really a concern.

"Can we stay a little bit longer?" Ichigo asked as they came closer to the car. Stark stopped walking and looked down at the seventeen year old. "There is a park just right there and it such a nice day…"

"You've been stuck on the estate too long," Stark replied. "It's fine if you want to stay here for a bit longer."

Having said that, the man took Ichigo by the arm. They crossed the street to the park and sat down at a bench that was facing a sidewalk and trees. Ichigo found himself quickly relaxing as he felt a cool breeze wafting across his skin and through his hair. Time passed in silence, both werewolves enjoying the weather.

"Tell me about yourself," Ichigo said suddenly. He himself was surprised that the words had slipped out so freely from his mouth. The grey eyed wolve chuckled a little bit.

"What would you like to hear? There is a lot that I could tell you about myself," he replied good naturedly.

"I don't know," Ichigo admitted. "How about your family, your likes. The basics I guess."

Stark stretched himself leisurely beneath the sun's pleasant warmth.

"I am 526 years old," he began. "My parents were both wolves. One of my fathers died in a massacre set up by the Slayers. The other is still alive. He lives in Madagascar, traveling I believe. I enjoy sleeping, as you have noticed. Fighting is a smaller interest. And you have probably met my niece, Lilynette."

Ichigo's eyes widened. "You're 526? Are werewolves immortal?"

"Only as immortal as vampires. We age according to our mentality, after maturity is reached."

"And you had werewolve parents?" Ichigo asked.

"It is very unusual for wolves to have offspring," Stark said ruefully. "We prefer to have mates when we reproduce, and it has taken me over five centuries to even be marked."

"Why have you waited so long?" Ichigo asked. Stark's gaze seemed kind.

"The same reason why you waited; to fall in love." The man's mouth turned upwards. "Of course it seems as though Fate has something else in mind for us."

Ichigo felt guilt well up inside of his chest. He had bound someone to himself without their permission, someone who had been waiting to fall in love like him. "Why aren't you angry with me?"

"Angry?" Stark repeated. He took Ichigo's hand in his with a very serious expression on his face. "Ichigo, I have lived such a lonely life. This was completely unexpected, but I do not regret what happened to us. I was interested by you when we first met. I wanted to learn more about you because you seemed like a mystery to me. This is my wish. Perhaps no in the manner I expected, but nonetheless, I have received my wish."

"How could this be your wish?" Ichigo asked. He didn't understand why Stark remained unaffected by this change in relationship. Ichigo felt as if he had forced the werewolve into this.

Stark smiled, cupping Ichigo's cheek as if it were precious.

"My wish," he whispered, "was to have a mate that I could _love_."

Ichigo's face felt hot, though it was a different kind of heat from blushing. He looked into Stark's eyes and only saw raw honesty. It was so intense that the young man's breath caught in his throat; it made his heart beat faster.

"Can you love me?" he questioned. Instead of replying with words, Stark merely pressed his forehead against Ichigo's and kissed the tip of his nose. The gesture was pure, and impossibly sweet. Ichigo couldn't help but smile as hi stomach began to flutter.

"I hope that you feel the same way," the man murmured. Ichigo scowled a little.

"I wouldn't have agreed to a relationship if I hadn't," he mumbled. He tried to sound angry about it, but his voice came across as embarrassed. Luckily Stark didn't seem to mind.

** A Little Bonus **

Aizen stared at the phone that was in his hand. Ichigo was spending the day with Stark, which he was relieved to hear. It meant that the young man would return, more at ease with the rest of his Alphas. Nonetheless, Aizen had heard from Shiro that Ichigo had not called their father after the birthday party. Ichigo apparently didn't want to upset his single parent, who was dealing with a madman at the moment. Unfortunately the leader of Los Noches felt it was his duty to inform the parent of one under his care (and who had now marked him) about the relationship status of his son. Aizen dialed Isshin's number reluctantly.

Isshin saw an unfamiliar number ringing on his phone.

"Hello?" he answered suspiciously.

"Isshin Kurosaki. We celebrated the birthday of your sons yesterday. Something happened," Aizen explained. Isshin rubbed his forehead warily.

"What did Shiro do now?" he sighed.

"It wasn't Shiro." The father's hand fell to his side and his head snapped up. "Ichigo marked three wolves two nights ago. You have met Grimmjow and Stark. I must apologize for not stopping your son, especially when he marked me."

Isshin' eyes bulged. "_Marked?! _But that's-"

"Do not worry, none of us marked your son," Aizen informed him.

"Marking requires _consummation_-" Isshin tried to say.

"Have a good day," Aizen said quickly. There was silence, and then a dead end. The werewolve growled low in his throat before slamming the phone down.

"That bastard hung up on me," he fumed. "How dare he sleep with my son! How dare he let Ichigo mark him!"

Isshin drew in several deep breaths. He was not pleased to hear that three older wolves had take his youngest child and accepted being marked. He would skin all three of them if he ever got his hands on them. And Aizen could have worded the conversation better, perhaps been a little more friendl about it.

"Bastard," Isshin repeated, meaning every syllable of the world. Inwardly, he had to admit there was a portion of pride; his little Ichigo had marked three Alphas. That was unheard of.

**So this was a bit longer than yesterday. Originally the Chapter 11 and 12were one chapter, but that was too long for met to type. Because these have a lot of parts taken out from them. Anyways, I though it was a cute little scene between Stark and Ichigo, right? And I have no idea where the thing with Isshin came from, but it just had to be in there. It isn't actually in my story (yet, maybe never) but Aizen feels really guilty for sleeping with Ichigo because he was supposed to make sure that Ichigo stayed safe. He also feels Isshin's wrath, haha!**

**Please review and if you have any pointers, please feel free to give them!**


	14. Chapter 13

**So this is another update. I knew I was forgetting to tell you all something. This will be going up in rating, so hurrah to that! And this is where things will really move plot wise. You've met some of the characters, such as Orihime as a witch, Rukia as a Slayer. It will play a role in the story. For now there is still a little bit of sweet stuff going. Relax, and enjoy the chapter update!**

**Chapter 12**

**Trouble in Paradise**

Aizen poured Ichigo a cup of tea. They were sitting in the man's private quarters which consisted of three large rooms: the bedroom, a bathing room, and a personal working area. Ichigo was impressed to say the least for most of the suites had a bedroom and a recreational room, or it was a bathroom. The room Ichigo was in was the personal working area, sitting at a low table on a comfortable cushion.

"I heard Stark took you out from Los Noches earlier today," Aizen said in a conversational manner. The tone was friendly and curious. It helped to alleviate some of the nerves the young werewolve had.

"Yes, he did. It was originally just for us to buy me a few clothes, but it became a date," Ichigo explained. He picked up the tea cup and was surprised to taste the slight sweetness. A smile played at his mouth. "It was really nice."

Aizen, satisfied by the answer and the reaction to the tea, poured himself a cup as well. On the morning he had awoken to find himself marked, he had been thoroughly confused. Strangely enough, Ichigo's panicking had been very helpful in keep him calm. The man was rather impartial to the idea of being marked. He did not quite feel much for Ichigo besides a sense of duty to treat him well ad to protect him. Aizen really had hoped that a mark would not change his own personal feelings, and it had not.

"You must have felt very at-ease with him by your side," he mused. The seventeen year old nodded, a little bit embarrassed by the admission.

"I was. We talked a little bit about his life, how he felt about…our situation." Strong brown eyes met Aizen's. "I wanted to talk to you about it as well."

The older wolve studied Ichigo closely. It amazed him much the young man was maturing in such a short amount of time. Only a day and a half had passed since the incident, yet he seemed to have completely come to terms with everything and was even trying to ascertain the happiness of his marked ones. It was something that the leader of Los Noches respected.

"To be blunt, I really do not know you very well, Ichigo. We have had a handful of conversations with each other at best." Aizen's mouth quirked into a small smile. "Having said that, I do not see anything wrong with being in this position. It's not like forced mating occurred."

The Alpha noticed the growth of curiosity in Ichigo's face and briefly wondered if he was someone who enjoyed learning new things, a scholar so to speak.

"Then what do you see this as?" the seventeen year old asked eagerly.

"An arranged marriage," Aizen mused slowly. He chuckled to himself as Ichigo became horrified. "I am not necessarily adverse to arranged marriages, you know. "

"Why would you ever want to marry someone that you don't love?" the young man demanded incredulously

"You marry someone first, and then love will grow," the Alpha explained simply. He watched as his new lover began to think about his opinion.

"Stark said something quite similar," Ichigo admitted. "When you put it that way, it doesn't seem so bad. And if you have waited so long to find a mate, I could certainly see the appeal."

"You don't seem like the person who would accept an arranged marriage," Aizen observed with minor amusement. When he received a scowl in return, the man relented. "Well, if you would like to change the topic, go ahead and ask me any question your heart desires."

The young man fingered the edge of his teacup as he suddenly looked into the liquid thoughtfully. "Will you ever become jealous of Grimmjow or Stark?"

"It is hard to say," Aizen answered honestly. "I would hate to become jealous of my friend Stark, and it would be insulting to myself to become jealous of a youngling like Grimmjow."

Ichigo laughed a little. He was shocked by the difference between the two older Alphas. Stark was considerate and sweet, a classic romantic. Aizen, however, possessed a calculating air about his person , and somehow remained utterly companionable. Ichigo had the utmost confidence in the man's ability to give him sage advice on any matter he wished to ask about, or to simply converse about the finer pieces in life. Art. Literature. Music. _True beauty_ that existed in the world.

"Do you have a favorite author?" Ichigo inquired. For some strange reason, Aizen appeared surprised by the question.

"Not really. While my passion lies in calligraphy, I enjoy most books. Biographies, epic poems, classic literature, contemporary literature." He listed the genres aimlessly and with an ease that left Ichigo envious. And the way the werewolve said each word filled the young man's mind with images of each genre. It stirred inside him _wonder_ and _thirst_. Ichigo almost wondered if this was the man's way of flirting.

"I take it from your expression, you also love books?" Aizen was smiling. The Kurosaki twin nodded.

"My favorite works are by William Shakespeare; he was such a brilliant man, a true master with his words and his genius."

"I had no idea you were one of his fanatics," Aizen remarked, genuinely impressed by the sincerity in Ichigo's voice. "It is quite unexpected. What do you think of Othello?"

Ichigo smiled, knowing that his suspicions were correct. Aizen was perfect to hold intellectual and insightful conversations about passionate beauty. It was relieving to know, for he treasured intelligence like this. He felt that here was another man he could learn to love.

"Dad, it isn't as bad as you think," Ichigo protested.

"You had sex with three men, Alphas no less, and marked them as possible mates. How is that not 'bad'?" his father demanded." Ichigo, you aren't human anymore. Do you understand? You're lucky that you're too young to get pregnant."

Ichigo choked on the air he was breathing as his cheeks flooded red. He had been told before that he was able to get pregnant, by the same men he had slept with. He was physically too immature to carry young yet, so he was safe at the moment. And irritated.

"I know that! You should have explained it to me before!" Ichigo paused, cooling down. "Anyways, it just…sort of…_happened_. They have been great about it, Dad. It could have gone so much worse than it has."

Isshin grunted doubtfully. If you say so then it must be true. Are they treating you well?"

"Very. They don't seem bothered by the marks," Ichigo replied honestly. "And when I woke up, they made sure I was alright and that we settled everything immediately. I'm currently dating them."

Ichigo heard his father heave a long, hard sigh. "Just, use protection, okay?"

The young man chuckled nervously. HE agreed with the request, knowing it was his father's way of accepting the situation. He didn't necessarily approved, but he accepted it nonetheless.

"Thank you for hearing me out." Orange eyebrows furrowed together. "Who told you about what happened anyways?"

He heard a low growl on the other end. "Obviously it wasn't you when it should have been."

"Sorry," Ichigo apologized, confused as to who had angered his father so much. His eyes wandered to where Grimmjow was taking a break from using the punching bag. "I have to go now."

"Promise to talk to me later?"

"Yeah. Bye Dad." The young man hung up the cell phone and walked over to the blue haired wolve.

"Your father take it well?" he asked. He took a swig of water from his water bottle and set it back down on the ground.

"I suppose. He pretty much wants me to do what I feel is right," Ichigo replied, shrugging. "He knows that with everything going on that it's time I make my own choices."

There was a small pause of silence. Grimmjow began to fidget uneasily.

"I know you went on a date with Stark," he said suddenly. "And I know you talked with Aizen in private."

Ichigo frowned. "Was there something wrong with doing that?"

"I don't like it when you go out with them and not tell me," Grimmjow mumbled. He seemed reluctant and embarrassed to admit what he was saying. "I start wondering if they get to hold you and I don't-"

"So you're jealous," Ichigo interjected. Sharp blue eyes glared at him.

"I am not jealous! Why would I be jealous?" Grimmjow demanded.

"It's normal if you are. I didn't do anything with them-"

"I am not jealous!" Grimmjow shouted. Ichigo felt himself being pulled up by the front of shirt. Until his face was an inch from the Alpha's. "I will never be jealous of _them _over _you_!"

Ichigo's temper snapped. Those words had meant to be insulting and they stung. He drew back his fist and punched Grimmjow across the face. The wolve surged forward after the initial shock with a snarl. He pinned Ichigo to the ground with enough force to leave bruises against his back. The two struggled against one another, limbs hitting roughly against the softer, more vulnerable parts of their body. As Ichigo tried to push Grimmjow off, he snarled at the man. The Alpha thrust his head down in an aggressive motion. Their lips met.

Teeth clashed almost at once, before tongues started to battle one another for dominance. When Grimmjow slipped past Ichigo's guard, it made the young man's head hit the ground. Ichigo's mind was spinning from the sheer frenzy, and his body began to act on instinct. He pulled Grimmjow closer to his body, rolling them over until he straddled the hips of the larger male. Then Ichigo attacked Grimmjow's mouth once more. Not a single rational thought was running through his mind, even when a hand ran beneath his shirt to scratch against the skin of his back.

Someone cleared their throat. "I hate to interrupt, but this _is _a public place."

Both of them looked up. Ichigo was dazed and Grimmjow looked intoxicated.

"Kaien," the Alpha growled. Ichigo's sense flooded back into him as soon as he heard that low growl. He flushed a bright red and immediately shoved himself away from the one he had been straddling. Grimmjow tried to grab him. "Wait!"

Kaien watched as the seventeen year old stammered out an apology before rushing away. He chuckled to himself and offered Grimmjow a hand up. "Word to the wise: avoid fighting, because it will lead to unwanted sex."

Grimmjow scowled, but took the hand (and advice).

****..**..**..**..**..****

Shiro was whistling as he gently washed the skin on his brother's back.

"That must have been an intense kiss if you didn't even mind getting this," he observed. Ichigo buried hi face into the pillow, ashamed by his actions.

"I went too far! He went too far! Why can't Grimmjow be like Stark or Aizen? They aren't jealous." The young man's voice came out sounding muffled.

"Well, they aren't jealous _yet_. Anyways, look at the bright side: Stark is your sweet romantic, Aizen your confident, and Grimmjow is stress relief," Shiro told him. The younger brother tilted his head to the side.

"That almost sound mean." He sighed. "I feel guilty, kissing Grimmjow. It's like I'm cheating on the other two. I feel as if I should tell them what happened today, but then Grimmjow might get in trouble."

"Not my problem," Shiro replied happily. "Your relationship isn't that complicated, Ichigo. You're just over thinking everything."

"You do it then!" Ichigo snapped, sitting up. He winced at the pain he felt in his back.

"Look, do whatever you were doing before you and Grimmjow kissed, it is as simple as that. Talk it out, and they will listen to you."

Somehow Ichigo doubted the validity of that statement. While Aizen and Stark seemed to be composed of a calm character, he predicted they would be quite violent when riled. And Grimmjow seemed to easily get under their skin. If he took Grimmjow with him to talk it out, then they might try to beat some sense into the man. Literally. Aizen and Stark had hinted before that any aggressive actions toward Ichigo would not be tolerated.

"I don't envy you your job of keeping your boyfriends in check," Shiro said honestly. His brother scowled.

"Some help you are!"

"Hey, I cleaned up your scratches!" he albino replied defensively. He waggled his eyebrows. "It must have been a serious turn on in the heat of the moment. Perhaps you're a little bit _ into pain_ if you know what I mean."

Shiro gasped as the wind was knocked out of him with a strong fist to his gut. He bent over almost at once and groaned.

"You're the one who keeps pissing me off so that I _do_ punch you," Ichigo growled.

**And that will be how this chapter ends. Interesting, no? Instead of going on a date or just chatting, Ichigo and Grimmjow get into a scuffle! ^^ **


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